Saving Cordova
by Khbrake
Summary: AU: The year is 2315. After the human race was nearly wiped out, the people of Cordova, a new small nation that used to be known as the United States of America, finally live peacefully. When an evil man threatens their world, can Captain Rizzoli save them all? Perhaps, her romance with President Isles daughter, Maura, will be too distracting.
1. Chapter 1

**Year 2295-**

The older woman walked into the classroom. She was wearing the standard issue teaching uniform; a crisp, button up shirt and white pants with a green stripe down the side of the left leg. The Cordova logo sat proudly over the upper left chest. Standing at the front of the classroom she surveyed the audience. Her eyes landed on the young girl with dark, wild curls sitting in the back. _So, that'sRizzoli_, she thought. "Alright, welcome to your last year of schooling. I am Ms. Winifred. As you know I will be your teacher until your fourteenth birthday. That is when you are qualified for basic training and you will go on to bigger and better things for the safety of Cordova."

She paused for dramatic effect and attempted a tight-lipped smile. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the group of children before her. This was the part of her job that was the hardest. Preparing these children with enough knowledge that will help them in their lives as soldiers. "Now, we are going to start off today by reviewing why we strive to keep Cordova a safe place to live. As you know, in the year 2017 an organized group attacked what was formerly known as the United States of America. It was a calculated biological attack which caused a virus outbreak and took out their archaic form of government."

Ms. Winifred began to pace back and forth across the front of the sitting students. "Their primitive military began to burn their own cities in a failed attempt to get rid of the virus. Most of the world was just about wiped out and the human race nearly eliminated. Our forefather, Lucius Cordova, knew that the only way to rid the world of the Garnier Virus, was to come up with a cure. He found that cure and began saving people. Being the brilliant man that he was, he created the world that we know today."

"He created small clans of us and taught us to be self-sustaining. He created the laws that we live by and for nearly three hundred years, we have lived peacefully in our Country. Does anyone know why we have lived so peacefully for so long?" She looked out expectantly across the room. Slowly, a boy in the front lifted his hand. "Mr. Frost, I would assumed that you would know the answer is since your own father is one of our most decorated Generals."

The boy looked around and slowly nodded his head. "Cordova is the only country in the world that created it's own government by genetically testing and selecting infants for their place in our society. We developed a highly trained military regime that no one in the world will dare come up against."

"That is correct. Everyone of you in this room are lucky enough to join that very team. Our own President Isles will come personally to collect you on your birthday to welcome you into the ranks." The classroom seemed to grow in volume as each student excitedly turned to their neighbor to gloat about their luck and status. Ms. Winifred smiled tightly again.

The rest of the school day went by quickly. Soon, the screen at the front of the room flickered to life. President Constance Isles appeared. "Good afternoon. It is now time to go home to your families, there is evening work to be done. Cordovians, be proud of your contributions to the government. We thank you and appreciate you." The screen flickered off. It was the same exact message that they had seen everyday of their lives signifying four o'clock. Jane rolled her eyes and grabbed her Epad and headed home. Frost caught up to her outside as they made their way through the school campus.

"Hey, Rizzoli." He said as he stopped running and walked beside the girl.

She looked over at him, "Hey, Frost." He noticed that she sounded different than she normally did.

"What's wrong with you? It's our last year. I mean, I have six more months of this. You only have three."

"I know. But...I just have a lot going on at home. My dad's been gone most of the summer. We haven't heard from him. My Ma thinks he's dead."

"She thinks he's one of those people who disappear forever. The ones we're not allowed to talk about?" Jane's eye widened. Quickly, she looked around and pulled Frost to a tree. Once under the canopy, she slowly nodded.

"What are you thinking saying that out of cover! You know, they're watching." She looked around again.

"You brought it up," he countered.

Whispering, "I didn't say he disappeared." She opened her lips slightly and without moving them she said, "the night he left, I watched him leave the house with two lieutenants. They had him in the straps."

Frost mimicked her and through a tight lip said, "Shit." Being the son of one of the Generals, he knew what the straps meant. Mr. Rizzoli would never see the light of day again. There was an underground rebellion. If any citizen of Cordova was even suspected of being a part of this group, they were immediately detained. Taken in the middle of the night. Never to be seen again. No one spoke of it.

"I don't have the heart to tell Ma, she's got enough problems with my new little brother, Tommy."

"How did he test? Just like you and Frankie?" She shook her head.

"They're gonna take him when he's seven." This was the part that Frost left out in his description in class. There were three classes of people in Cordova. At three months of age, every child was taken for a weeks worth of testing. Once back home with their family, they are notified of where their child will end up in the world. There is the coveted military class, the working class, and the unknowns.

Jane and her younger brother Frankie were both chosen for life in the military. The celebration in the Rizzoli household went on for weeks after each time they received the news. They started school at the same time as the working class children until the third year. Military children go to a specialized school until their fourteenth birthday. After a final dinner with their family, President Isles herself shows up at the front door to take the child directly to their new home.

Two years of intensive training allows you the privilege to see your family for one week a year. They spend their whole lives preparing to serve and protect Cordova. At the age of twenty, each cadet is placed in their own specialty. Those who patrolled the streets, those who patrolled the borders of Cordova, those who were more elite and made their presence known in the other remaining areas of the world where the human race survived. There were not many known colonies out there and Cordova had a strong presence in every single one.

There were rumors of a specialized group that took care of the "non-existent" rebellion group. However, since everyone knew that the rumors were just that, no one ever discussed the possibility of being a part of that group. There was also the most important job a military cadet could have, to be placed as the upper echelon security and serve President Isles herself and her family.

The working class continued through schooling and at age 16 were given a series of tests until they were told where their skills would be best used. Jane's mother, Angela, tested high in food preparation. She started out as a young baker and worked her way up to the head chef for her clan. It was she who decided what was for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her team prepared the daily meals for nearly twenty five hundred people everyday. Her husband Frank had been a factory worker. When he was younger he had never gotten the hang of carpentry, so they moved him into machining. He was quite apt at the creation of weapons. He had designed a few explosive devices that were coveted by President Isles herself. That was until a couple months ago when the man vanished from thin air out of his home.

The unknown group of people was the worst fate for any child and their family. At age seven, the child was taken and never seen or heard from again. No one in all of Cordova knew what happened to these children. As far as anyone was concerned, it was a death sentence. No one from the Beta clan had a child taken to the unknowns for nearly fifty years. Until, the third Rizzoli child, Thomas.

There were six clans in Cordova, which spanned across the entirety of the continent formerly known as "North America". Each clan had between one thousand and six thousand people. An unfortunate side effect of the cure was that most couples did not have more than two children. The repopulation of humans was a slow process. The Rizzoli's were nearly celebrities when their third child was born. It was unheard of for a single woman to bear more than two children. The blessing quickly evaporated after little Tommy was determined to be placed into the unknowns.

Each clan had a single leader who represented each one in President Isles cabinet. The Beta clan's leader was a man only known as Korsak. No one knew much about him. He was never present in the area formerly known as "Boston". He was almost as mysterious as President Isles herself. He was widely loved by all and seemed to know what was needed for his people. That was the best they could hope for.

The clans never interacted with one another. That was strictly prohibited. They learned about each other in their schooling. No one was allowed out of their borders. Each person had a role to play there was no traveling, unless you were elite military. This had been the way of life since the near extinction of the entire world population. No one questioned it. No one dared. They didn't know any other way.

Jane looked around and grabbed Frost's arm as she quickened her pace to get home before the siren. The siren signaled dinner. Routine was a very important part of life. It kept people's minds occupied on the next task. If you were found outside after the siren, the local patrol would pick you up. You weren't seen for a week and when you returned you had no memory of the week you lost.

Jane waved to her friend as he ran up the steps to his house. She turned and did a similar run up a set of identical steps and closed the door as the siren wailed. Her younger brother Frankie was already sitting at the dinner table. "That was close Janie!" he said as she sat at the table next to him. Tommy was laying in a small crib near the table. A light flickered in the center of the table and an image of President Isles appeared.

"Please enjoy this dinner prepared by your clan's head chef and her remarkable team. Their hard work today was supported by the hunter/gatherers. Let us be thankful to them for the food that you are about to enjoy. Another day, well done." She appeared to smile and she flickered again and disappeared. The center of the table opened and lifted to the center was what appeared to be three plates of chicken and some vegetables. Next to the plates was a bottle of milk for Tommy. Jane pulled her plate towards her and grabbed the bottle. She leaned over and tilted it towards her little brother's mouth and he eagerly took it.

Frankie grabbed his plate and began to eat. A door creaked and Angela entered the room. Sitting across from Jane, she removed her hat and grabbed her plate. They sat in silence as they ate. No one wanting to discuss how Frank was no longer a presence at these family meals. No one wanted to discuss what they were to do when Tommy turned seven and was no longer with them. And certainly no one wanted to discuss how Jane would no longer be a fixture at mealtime after another three months. Frankie was just four years behind her. Angela finished her meal and sat with her children.

* * *

_**Twenty years later...Year 2315.**_

It was a surprise to no one at the academy when Jane Rizzoli was chosen to be on President Isles' personal protection squadron. After only a few years, she had moved up the ranks to a Lieutenant. She overlooked the protection of her cabinet. Her cabinet consisted of Korsak, whom she learned actually went by Vince. He was a sweet man who treated her as if she was his own daughter. He was her favorite member. She often went on trips with him as was required for his position.

There was also a Gabriel Dean, who represented the Alpha Clan. The Gamma Clan was headed up by a newer member, Byron Sluckey, who replaced his father just under a year before. There was also Sean Cavanaugh, who lead the Delta Clan, Charles "Casey" Jones, in charge of the Epsilon Clan, and Charles Hoyt, who held the Zeta clan position.

Jane was the youngest person in Cordova history to hold such a coveted position. These six people were the leaders of the clans and it was her job to make sure they and their families were protected. She felt it was an easy job. There was never any threat to the cabinet. She and her team basically followed them around and accompanied them on long trips outside the borders of Cordova into places all over the world.

She still was not privy to the intricacies of the position. No one but the six men were allowed into any meeting held with President Isles. No one was allowed into any meetings with anyone outside of Cordova. Although, once very recently she heard Vince make mention of the medicine he was bringing to a village in the area formerly known as "Germany". She couldn't pronounce the name of the Country if she tried. She knew Vince was a good man and that he had an important job of caring for everyone around the world.

Jane was standing guard outside of the door when she heard a whoosh. The door slid open and Mr. Jones walked out. "Good morning, sir." She greeted.

"Ah, Lieutenant Rizzoli. Are you my detail today, Jane?" He gave her a grin and she returned it.

"That I am, sir."

"Excellent. I have an exciting day planned. Perhaps, you'd like to join me for breakfast?"

"That's my job, sir," she replied. He walked ahead of her and she followed giving herself a moment to look around the room. He walked into another room that had a table full of different types of food. He helped himself and sat in a chair. Jane grabbed an apple and sat across from him. She waited until he took his first bite, before she indulged herself.

"You've become quite the beautiful woman, Jane."

"And you're barking up the wrong tree, though I mean no disrespect, sir." She took another bite of the apple. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Is the great Jane Rizzoli already taken?"

"No, sir. You know it's forbidden for us to ever marry."

"Ah, but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed a little fun."

"Sir, please don't act as though you don't know."

"Your little girlfriend. Yes, I am informed. Private Cooper?"

"We are no longer together."

"Really? Have you got your sights set on someone?"

Jane paused. She did have her sights set on someone. The problem was who that someone was. "No, sir."

laughed. "Sounds to me like that's not quite true. She must be quite unattainable if she isn't already yours. Perhaps, Dr. Isles?" He smirked and could tell by the deer in headlights look that he had struck a chord. "You're quite right to deny your feelings for Maura. Her mother would absolutely forbid her to ever date someone in your class. As you said, you aren't allowed to marry."

Jane sat there contemplating whether or not she should react. "Sir, if I may..."

"You may Rizzoli. Speak freely."

"I am bound to an oath to Cordova. I would not betray my duty for a beautiful woman."

"Maura Isles would be worth the risk, if I may also speak freely. I've always liked you over the years Rizzoli. You two would make quite the couple."

"We don't interact much, sir."

"Why not, you work directly under her mother."

"I am to serve and protect the cabinet. The few times we've talked she seems like a good person. I haven't had the opportunity to really get to know her."

Casey leaned over the table. "Don't ever count yourself out. Perhaps an opportunity will come. Now, I'm bored with breakfast. Let's head to my meeting." They both got up from the table and headed to the capital.

At the end of her shift, Jane went to her bunk and removed her uniform. She laid down in her bed and thought about her mother. She looked run down on her last week of leave. It was almost difficult to imagine Angela as a strong younger woman. She lost a husband and child far too soon. After Frankie had left for training, she did nothing but provide meals to the clan.

The door to her room beeped and whooshed open. A young man entered with a tray full of food. His dark hair was long and nearly covered his eyes. "Lieutenant, your dinner." She looked over at him briefly and indicated with a sweep of her hand for him to put the tray down.

"Thank you. I'll ring you when I'm finished." He bowed slightly and backed out of the room. The exorbitant amount of servants always surprised her. No one back home knew that the small groups of the secret squadron were treated so differently than anyone back home could ever imagine. The kid who had just left was new. He had been in her service for only the last three months. He couldn't have been more than twenty. She wondered what kind of worker's class testing he endured.

She looked at the tray and thought about Dr. Maura Isles. The President's only daughter. She was the only person in all of Cordova who was allowed to choose her own destiny. She chose to care for the sick. Spent her days out working in the clans helping people whenever she could. In the last fifteen years, Jane had been around the woman only a handful of times. Each time, Jane felt time freeze and speed up at the same time. She had heard people talk about being in love. It wasn't a luxury that she was afforded. Any woman that she was with wasn't meant to last, it rarely lasted more than a few months.

She once was standing guard outside of a cabinet meeting. Dr. Isles had stormed out of the room ranting about how they expected her to heal people when they had limited resources for medication. She had stopped and looked at Jane, who felt as though her heart stopped beating. Their eyes locked and Jane felt a sudden sense of calm. She didn't feel the butterflies in her stomach the way she had with a handful of women in the past. The feeling went above and beyond. She was completely captivated by green eyes that gripped her insides. The doctor had walked up to her and kissed her hard for a moment. In a flash, she spun around and walked away. Jane was left alone again and straightened herself back up.

People have tried to describe love in so many ways. Through music, poetry, art, and words. After the rushed kiss, Jane realized that there are no words to describe it when you feel it. There is a difference between feeling passionate about someone and lusting after someone. She fell into a hole that day. She had never felt more complete or more alone in her entire life.

Jane laid down on her bunk and closed her eyes. She imagined that kiss again. The way her lips felt and how commanding the other woman was. She wasn't sure if she had ever been kissed in that way. She knew she would never be kissed like that again. She spoke aloud, "Journal." A light rose out of the top of the small table in her room.

A voice spoke, "Private journal entry for Lieutenant Jane Rizzoli, 18th of July, year twenty-three-fifteen."

Jane began to speak, "I don't know what it is about her. I am captivated by someone I hardly know. Her eyes have really thrown me and are so gripping. I don't even know what's going on in my life. This isn't like me at all. I have never felt so many things all at once. I've never felt more connected and fused with someone in my life. Never felt so complete or whole. I felt off kilter and dizzy. I've never wanted to fly before now. People can't fly, but she makes me feel as though I could soar. I just feel so alive." She pulled her hand over her face. "UGH! End entry." The voice ended the recording and the light disappeared.

Jane had been keeping a journal of all of her thoughts on the good doctor. Most of the entries were the same. She needed a new distraction. She wanted someone to take her mind off of who she could never have. As she began to fall asleep, she told herself that in the morning, she would be open to those around her. She would smile and flirt with those women that lived around the capital, who were always falling over themselves around her. Tomorrow was going to be a new day. She wouldn't have to think about Maura Isles anymore. She squeezed her eyes shut and told the light to turn off. Her mind wandered back to that kiss as she drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Year 2315-**

Three weeks after her talk with Casey, Jane was sitting on her bed putting on her boots when a light flickered above her dresser. She looked over and saw President Isles. Surprised at this, she stood up at attention quickly. "President Isles, Ma'am."

"At ease, Lieutenant Rizzoli." The woman waved her hand. "I need you to come to my office immediately, I would like to speak with you about a promotion. I know you took your captains exam. It's time we discussed this." The President flickered and disappeared. Jane quickly finished putting on her boots.

Her captains exam was a week long testing cycle and she knew she had nailed it. She ran part of the way across the capital campus and arrived at the Presidential office. The building was a rather small looking. It almost looked exactly like Jane's house where she grew up. There were stairs in the front and she jumped up them as a light came and scanned her face. She stood for a moment until the door slid open. She walked through the entryway and saw Doris sitting at her desk. "Lieutenant Rizzoli, you made good time today." Jane flashed a young woman blushed slightly and pressed a button. The door behind her opened.

President Constance Isles came walking towards her. "Lieutenant! It's so good to see you. I apologize for not seeing you sooner. I've been pretty busy the last few weeks."

Jane accepted the hug that the woman had always insisted on giving. "Quite alright, Ma'am." She smiled. Constance smiled at Doris and walked back into her office. Jane followed but not before saying, "Doris, if you're free for dinner tonight..." Doris gasped and nodded fiercely. Jane winked at her and disappeared behind the door.

"Please have a seat on the couch. This doesn't have to be a formal meeting. I consider you a friend, Jane." Jane did as she was told. "Now, let's get the business out of the way. You scored quite high on your exam. In fact, no one has ever scored as highly as you did. I'd like to start calling you Captain Rizzoli, if that's alright with you." Jane beamed and nodded. "Excellent! With this promotion does come a new assignment. Would you be alright with that?"

"Of course! I look forward to serving Cordova however you see fit." Jane shifted in her seat slightly.

Constance folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. "You have done a fantastic job heading up the cabinet security. We are going to give your post to Second Lieutenant Frost in your place."

"He'll do a great job."

"Yes, I know that he will. Your new assignment is closer to my heart and very important to me. Your new assignment is quite simple. You are the new security for my daughter, Maura." The air seemed to suddenly be sucked out of the room. Jane suddenly felt dizzy and froze. "Please don't think of this as a demotion. You are rising in rank and therefore are needed for a very important cause. Maura travels the world caring for the sick of other clans and teaches them about medicine. However, now that you are officially a captain, you must be told of the worldly threats that are still abundant outside of Cordova. Maura recently just returned from a trip but almost didn't make it. Her group was attacked."

Jane attempted to process this information. Of course, she had heard rumors of unrest in the other clans across the ocean. However, she had never seen any proof in any of her travels. "Attacked? Who would attack a group of doctors?"

"Since, you've now have the proper clearance it's time we talked about what is going on out there. I believe in peace. We've lived that way for almost three hundred years. Other clans fear our way of life. They don't understand how to not live in strife. They believe that we are too strict. That we have too many rules and regulations. However, they are more than willing to accept the food, supplies, technology, and medicine that we send to people all over the world. We rarely ask for much in return. Some people are just ungrateful and do not feel the same way that we do about living our lives peacefully."

"The unknowns? Are they the ones that we identify as future problems?"

Constance dropped her head, "It is so unfortunate, but it is necessary to have us be such a strong, peaceful people. This is what keeps us from repeating history. The history where we were almost extinct. Jane, we don't have a crime problem in our country. Do you think that we've just been lucky?"

Jane looked at her, "My little brother was taken when he was seven."

"Yes, I know. He had certain genetic markers that indicated certain...attributes. I'm so sorry for your mother, I spent quite a while with her when Thomas was taken. She's a good woman." Jane had no idea. She had never talked about the day Tommy was taken with her mother. She only had a week to spend with her and didn't want to dwell on the saddest moments of her life.

"Tell me more about the assignment."

"Well, you will be her personal security it will be a twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week. She's been resting since her return. You start immediately and you are to report to her quarters as soon as you leave here. We will have your things brought to her place. There is a room set up for you there."

"Yes, Ma'am." Jane stood up and Constance followed. Jane walked out and saw a smiling Doris. "I'm sorry, as much as I would love to see you tonight...I'm on a new assignment. I have to cancel dinner."

Doris's face fell. "Oh. Um. I understand, Lieutenant."

"Actually, it's Captain now." Jane smiled and swung her hips slightly as she took a step closer. Pleased with herself when Doris looked down and noticed. "I would love to stay here and chat, but duty calls." With that she turned and walked out the door. Leaving a very disappointed assistant sitting alone at her desk.

The walk to Dr. Isles quarters took her to the far side of the capital's campus. Isolated from the rest of the city. She paused at the bottom step and took a deep breath. She walked up as the scanner read her face and made the announcement to the inside of the house. After a few moments, the door opened. Jane stepped inside. "Captain Rizzoli." came her voice. Jane looked over and saw Maura standing in front of her. "My mother informed me that you are to be my new shadow." She was wearing the customary doctor uniform, a white button up with the Cordova emblem over the left chest. Her blonde hair rested on her shoulders. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle.

"If I may, I think we should look at it as making a new friend." Jane stood confidently and clasped her hands behind her back. "Perhaps, we can start by talking about your schedule."

"Straight to business. I like that."

"I've always found that getting the business part out of the way is always best." Jane smirked and she watched as Dr. Isles' eyes widened slightly and a smile grew on her face.

"I travel every other three weeks. When I'm gone, generally, my team and I collect data and we provide medical assistance as needed. When I'm home, I try to relax, so you will have some time off. I'm the one who requested you, I've heard a lot about you over the years."

"All good I hope," Jane smiled again.

"Of course, you've always had a quite impressive resume. I know I've always enjoyed seeing you from time to time."

"Seeing me?"

"We've interacted on occasion over the years. I know many women in the capital, they've all sung your praises." The Doctor raked her eyes down the Captain's body and then came back up and landed on her eyes. She was even more captivating standing this close. Jane was suddenly embarrassed and she brought a hand up to her neck and scratched it.

Jane did have a reputation with a few women around the capital. She was a highly decorated member of the most elite branch of the military in Cordova. She was also very attractive. She didn't tend to get too attached to anyone since she was forbidden to marry. Now looking into those green eyes, she wished she had a different assignment, this was going to be more difficult than she thought.

"I don't know about that. I do know that I've never seen a more beautiful woman than the one I'm seeing right now." She shook her head at how quickly she dropped her professional facade around this woman. Jane was unsure if the other woman even remembered the kiss.

"Captain, need I remind you that I am Cordova's President's only daughter." Maura took a step forward. Jane felt a dare.

"I am well aware, Dr. Isles."

"You've been watching me for years, Captain. I also know that I've definitely been watching you. I really don't have the time to dance around anything with you, especially if we are going to be spending as much time together as I hope we will. I don't have the patience for it."

"We don't have to dance, Ma'am." She regretted her compliment and now wanted to bring it back to business. Her stomach flipped.

"You can call me Maura, please." She took another step towards the brunette. "I've already tasted these lips." She reached out her finger and touched the edge of Jane's bottom lip.

_There went trying to keep this professional_, Jane thought. "I hope that doesn't affect our working relationship." Jane smirked and refrained from reaching out and grabbing the blonde.

"Quite the contrary. I'm fairly certain it can only enhance the experience." They stood there looking at each for a moment and Jane felt a stir inside. Maura spoke again, "I don't have anything else to do today and I really want to feel your hands on me." Maura was more bold than she thought. She hesitated for a moment, but there was something about being in such close proximity with her. This time Jane didn't hold herself back and grabbed the smaller woman by her hips and pulled her against her. She smiled as she felt and heard the woman gasp at the sudden contact.

"Maura..." Jane leaned down and pressed her lips softly against the Doctor's. This kiss wasn't as hard or hurried as that day in the corridor. It was slow and deliberate. After a few moments, Maura reached up to place her hand in soft brunette locks and licked Jane's bottom lip. Jane pulled back and looked down.

"Wow, that's even better than I remember." Maura said.

"Don't you think this is a little fast?"

"I've been watching you for years, Jane. I've been attracted to you since I first saw you in my mother's vehicle when she picked you up for the academy. We will have the time to get to know each other, but for now I just really need this." She pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes and kissed Jane again.

Jane knew that she wanted this too. She didn't want to ruin the moment by over thinking. She bent down and momentarily broke the kiss as her hands ran down the back of Maura's leg as she picked her up. Maura immediately wrapped her legs around the woman and smiled. "You know where the bedroom is," she whispered. Jane's legs began to move with purpose through two doors that opened as she neared them and closed behind her. She walked into Maura's bedroom as the kiss opened up and she ran her tongue into her mouth. Both women moaned as Maura unwrapped her legs and stood back on the floor. She took a step back and bit the corner of her lip and unbuttoned her shirt and took it off. Jane watched her as the pants, bra, and small panties came off in quick succession. Looking at the beautifully sculpted body in front of her, she realized that she was over dressed. Quickly, she removed her boots and removed her weapon from her hip.

She removed her uniform as Maura watched intently. Jane noticed the hunger in her eyes and she took a purposeful step towards her. Maura turned around and faced the bed. Jane came up behind her and grabbed her, pressing against her as she started to kiss the side of her neck. A hand came up and grabbed her head in encouragement. Leaving small nips and licks along her neck she moved down to her shoulder.

Moving her hand from her stomach to her breast, Jane palmed and squeezed gently. Maura pushed her chest out at the contact and grabbed Jane's other hand, lacing their fingers together. Jane pulled her hand away and forced Maura to turn around as she bent slightly and grabbed her bare backside as her lips met the smaller woman's. Tilting her head just a bit, she pulled back slightly and brushed her lips again before a welcoming mouth opened as Jane's tongue lightly touched hers. Maura's hips began to rock slightly and Jane pushed her back with her body not letting go of her ass.

Jane relished the moment as her body was pressed up against the woman she had dreamed about for years. She felt Maura's tongue lightly brush against her own and she slid her hands up her smooth back to her shoulders as she took a step forward and pushed Maura backwards onto the bed. Maura landed with a gasp and looked up at her with an intensity Jane had never seen before in a lover. Jane climbed up and over her as Maura scooted toward the head of the bed. As the brunette slid her leg between Maura's, she held herself above her and looked down into her eyes. Maura rocked her hips against the strong leg and reached back and felt the muscles in Jane's back and ran her fingers over them.

Jane pressed her leg against her hips and could feel her arousal. She lowered her face and took in her bottom lip and sucked on it, Maura moaned against her. Her heart was racing and Maura felt on fire against her body. She wove her hands into blonde curls and broke the kiss with a gasp. Maura pulled Jane down and lightly bit her strong chin. When Jane moaned in appreciation, she continued with light bites and licks along Jane's jaw line to her earlobe. She nibbled and sucked Jane's earlobe and placed a soft kiss behind Jane's left ear. She could feel the shiver that went down Jane's body.

Jane reached her hand down and cupped Maura slowly sliding a finger between her and pushed against her swollen clit. This caused a sharp jerk from the woman beneath her and Jane smirked into her kiss. She didn't want to wait, she quickly pushed two fingers inside and began to move them in and out. Maura caught on quickly and began to enjoy the feeling of Jane as she moved her hips with her. Eager to return the favor, Maura moved her hand down and followed Jane's lead.

They moved together and quickened their speed. Jane cried out and slowed her hips and put more pressure against the other woman as she worked against her. Soon enough, Maura crashed over the edge. Jane rolled over and laid on her back staring at the ceiling. Maura leaned over and laughed. "Jane, I've wanted to do that for so long." Jane worked to calm her heavy breathing and smirked. She turned her head and looked at Maura.

"That was incredible." Jane said as Maura's face lit up. "Although, I feel like I should have taken you to dinner first." Both women laughed. Maura leaned over and kissed her.

She leaned back, "It's too early for dinner, but we could have lunch together. Maybe talk a little, start to get to know one another."

"What could you possibly want to know about me?"

"I want to know everything there is to know about Captain Jane Rizzoli. Starting with why you've never approached me before."

Jane looked back up at the ceiling. "Ah. Well, you should know that answer already."

"My mother's stupid rule. What made you break it today?" Jane looked at her incredulously.

"Seriously? Have you seen yourself in a mirror?" Maura laughed and kissed her again. She got out of bed, grabbed a robe and put it on.

"Let's get something to eat." Jane smiled and looked at her clothes on the floor. She got up and started to redress.


	3. Chapter 3

**Year 2300-**

The young woman was sitting on a bench at the large park in the center of the capitol campus. She had a stack of papers sitting next to her and a file folder in her lap. Her attention was not on the information in front of her as her hazel eyes scanned across the park. She saw many people walking past on their way to their respective activities. The wind picked up slightly and her honey colored hair moved as a few strands flew across her face and she moved a finger to move them away. As her hand came down, she saw the person she was waiting for walking towards her. Her heart began to speed slightly at the sight and her stomach turned in knots.

Cadet Rizzoli was walking with her friend, Cadet Frost. They were laughing while they walked and the young woman watched the woman intently. She exuded confidence as she swaggered down the path. She was wearing the standard dark gray uniform with a green stripe down one side. Her weapon moved slightly as it hung from her hip with each step. Her long, wild hair was pulled back into a ponytail today, she noted. The brunette started to laugh with her companion and two adorable dimples appeared. The young woman dropped the file folder off her lap as she gasped slightly at the sight.

Quickly, she looked down and saw the papers as they started to be lifted and moved around by the breeze. Panicking, she moved to pick up the papers before they flew away. "Hey! Let me help you with that." The cadet rushed over and grabbed a few stray papers. Both women scurried around picking up papers until they both stood back up and faced one another. "Ms. Isles?" Jane said as she straightened herself up to attention.

The woman looked at her with a shocked look on her face. "Please, call me Maura. I've asked you that before, Ja...Cadet Rizzoli." Jane gave a smile from one side of her mouth. Maura looked into her eyes and the world seemed to slip away. Maura smiled back at her and they stood there awkwardly for a few moments.

Suddenly, Jane realized she was holding her papers and held them out as Maura slowly reached out and took them. "Ms. Isles, I have a duty to Cordova and your mother. I realize that you would allow me to call you Maura, but that wouldn't go over well with her." Jane smiled.

Maura straightened up slightly. "I'm my own woman. Please, call me Maura." She looked at Jane and felt lost. There was something about this woman that had Maura tied in knots. Suddenly, she realized that the file she was holding was in fact Jane Rizzoli's file. Embarrassed and wanting to not let on that she was studying up on the woman standing before her, Maura turned around and began to gather her other papers still sitting on the bench. She slid Jane's photo behind the others and grabbed the entire stack. When she turned back around, Jane and her friend were walking away from her.

She watched for a moment before she chastised herself for not composing herself more around the beautiful young cadet. She walked towards her office. She had heard of Jane Rizzoli since she was a young child. She had heard her mother mention her on more than a few occasions. In fact, Maura was with Constance when she went to gather Jane on her fourteenth birthday. When she first laid eyes on her, she was immediately impressed. Whenever she accompanied her mother on the gatherings, most of the kids have a teary goodbye with their families. Not Jane.

Jane was calm and collected. She was also absolutely breath taking. It was the first time that Maura finally felt what most of the girls in her class talked about when they fancied a boy. She never quite understood what was meant by "butterflies" in the stomach. That was impossible. A human stomach was not an appropriate environment for butterflies to survive. However, as soon as she laid her eyes on Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles was certain that she felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach.

She sat back in her seat as she listened to her mother's signature lecture that she gave to every new cadet. Every so often she would lean forward slightly to catch another glimpse of the wild haired girl. "Jane, this is my daughter, Maura Isles. She is a year younger than you. Perhaps one day you'll have the privilege to work with her. Her interest is in medicine." Maura was suddenly embarrassed. Usually, when she was introduced, the mention of her interest in medicine gave her a feeling of pride. She was the only person in all of Cordova that was exempt from the testing of every other citizen. She was choosing a life for herself. One perk of being the daughter of the President. With Jane, she felt vulnerable as her mother went on gushing about her. Soon, the car ride was over and Jane gave her a smile before she exited the car and was escorted to the barracks.

Realizing that she was standing in front of her office door, she opened it and went inside. She put her stack of papers down and began to resort through them. She looked down at Jane's file. The stamp at the top read CLASSIFIED top level. There was her genetic testing results from when she was first tested, her education records, and her military files. Only five people were privy the the last sheet. She put it on the top and read what it said, "Unknown genetic mutation. Further testing required." There were sporadic notes from over the years from various testing. Dr. Isles was tasked with finding out what the mutation meant for Jane and why she was so special.

Her team consisted of Jane's personal physician, Dr. Ian Faulker, Vincent Korsak, her mother, and Gabriel Dean. Through the years, there had been developments in Jane due to the mutation. Dr. Faulkner realized that Jane never got sick. She had never even had the common cold. When she hit puberty, he was ordered to give her small strains of different viruses. Not once would her body allow any virus or bacterial to mature. He would order various testing and each time her body very quickly reversed the virus and she seemed to gain more strength.

She was exceptionally strong. When she trained she could train harder and longer than any other soldier ever had before. Jane had no idea that this was out of the ordinary. She thought that she was just determined. Further testing of Jane's blood proved to be a cure for any disease. It had been used in the production of many medicines.

Maura looked at the file. She ran a finger over the photograph. Jane was such an attractive woman. She gave a sigh and closed the file. She looked around the office. There was a dinging sound. Suddenly, Vincent Korsak's image appeared hovering over her desk. "Doctor Isles."

"Cabinet Member Korsak." She greeted.

"Ah, call me Vince. Please." She smiled and nodded. "I wanted to report some things to you and wanted to know if you could meet me later at the normal spot. Say in an hour?"

"That sounds great. I'll see you then." He nodded and disappeared.

An hour later, Maura was sitting on a park bench beneath a tree just outside the Capital. Soon, she saw the older man approaching. He pulled a device out of his pocket and discreetly pressed a button as he sat down next to her. "I've pressed it, so we should be all clear."

She looked around for a moment as if to expect someone else. Then, she spoke, "thank you, Sergeant. What's the status?"

"I've received intelligence from a few of the colonies in Former Africa. The strain of the virus has mutated and it seems that there are a number of people dying within forty-eight hours. The weird thing is that it is not a communicable disease, you have to have it transfer to you through injection. There are reports of Cordovian troops being spotted in the villages. I think this is bigger than we thought. Someone in Cordova is going out there and spreading disease. They are using our own troops to do it."

"Those who die. Is it the same?"

He looked around and up at the tree. He nodded silently.

Maura sat and considered him for a moment. "Do we have any idea who is plotting this?"

"Not at the moment, Commander. I'm going to do some more digging. Dr. Faulkner has been doing the best he can treating those affected. The Rizzoli woman's blood is a miracle. I can't believe she hasn't ever realized the power that flows through her veins."

"He's going to run out of supplies soon and have to come back to replenish. I'm worried that whoever is behind this may find out of our secret cure and the source."

"Cadet Rizzoli is coming up for assignment in the next few weeks. With assignment comes the typical physical. We'll be able to draw more blood and increase our supply. Let me talk to your mother about maybe putting her on Cabinet duty. She can spend some time travelling with me and she'd have access to everyone else. It's got to be someone there. Who else would have enough pull to take Cordova troops that far from home? If she spent some time there, it could be beneficial to our cause."

"Yes, that's a good idea. Jane...uh...Cadet Rizzoli would make a perfect elite protection squad leader." Maura's face reddened for a moment. She quickly looked away. She took a breath and attempted to regain her composure. She turned back, "Vince, history has a way of repeating itself. If someone is attempting to spread a virus in other colonies, Cordova's status in the world will deteriorate quickly. I won't let that happen. Not on my watch. I would like for you to hold a code promise meeting at the end of the week. It may be time for me to speak to the troops directly."

Korsak nodded, "We'll have to do it late at night so we minimize any suspicion."

"Agreed. That it all Sergeant." Maura stood from the bench as she put on her sunglasses and headed back across the park. He watched for a few moments then got up and headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

Gabriel Dean was sitting out on his balcony looking out over the city. He had been enjoying an relaxing afternoon. The visitor who had just left, had completely depleted him. Now, he was feeling tense and concerned. The news from Vincent Korsak was rather disturbing. His true function as a cabinet member would need to be utilized. He thought about when he accepted the position from President Isles. It was something that was rather shocking to a young man who had grown up with a sister who was taken when she was seven years old. Never to be seen or heard of again.

The first time he saw his sister as a grown woman, she seemed rather frail. She was a servant to a lieutenant. She never spoke a word to him, nor did she recognize him. He responded within the hour, saying that he would be honored to handle the unknowns, or as he had learned were really part of a secret organization called Code Promise. President Isles was quite pleased with the acceptance of the position. Over the years, he realized that his secondary duty as a cabinet member was quite helpful in his charge.

He oversaw the initial infant testing. He welcomed the children who were quite upset to have been forced to leave their families. Within a few weeks of collection, the children were taking various classes on weapons training, hand to hand combat, intelligence collection, and linguistics. By the time they were fifteen, they went through a memory erasing course. They were then convinced that they were content to serve others during the day. Every so often, they would be pulled out to perform certain missions around the globe. They would bring back the information and report directly to Dean. The spy business was still completely intact in the world and Gabriel Dean was in charge of Cordova's interests.

The visit from Korsak was to report that the elusive Commander had ordered a gathering. This was going to be a pain for him. There had never been a gathering of this nature before. The intel that had been gathered was pointing towards a highly coordinated effort to start spreading a calculated biowarfare through the outer colonies. There was no indication who was behind the effort. Now, risking such a gathering would require intensive coordination for all of the others to not be missed by their wards.

* * *

Maura stood off to the side of a large area. There were a fairly large crowd of people in black uniforms standing stiffly in an ordered manner. Dean walked in front of them and held up his hand. The men and women took a deep breath at the same time and suddenly seemed to reactivate. He spoke, "We have called this emergency meeting today to hear from our Commander. Listen to what she has to say and then you are to report to your handler for your individual assignment download." Maura walked over and stood next to Dean.

She looked out over the men and woman looking at her with bated breath. She had never addressed them before. Most of them had no idea that she was the one who controlled most of their fates. She saw a man with dark hair standing in the front row. She recognized him immediately. He looked exactly like his sister. She steadied herself and took a breath.

"I have ordered you here today to tell you about a growing threat to our world. There is a group that has developed a new virus which is running through the outer colonies. It is injected and quickly takes over the body functions of it's victim. After forty-eight hours, the victim dies. Within a days time, they are reanimated. The danger of this should already be quite clear to all of you. This time, those who come back seem to have a specific purpose. They no longer are mindless beings that are easily taken out. They seem to have an ability to fight back with an unprecedented expertise. It seems that the group is attempting to build an army with these corpses. We are currently working on missions that you will all take part in as we try to figure out who is behind this and what their endgame is going to be. All missions are to be phased so that people in the capital do not realize you are missing."

People in the crowd started lifting their right hands in the air. It was a sign of understanding. They knew what they had to do. They understood the consequences. They were onboard. Maura smiled. "You are the most brave of us all. Your importance to Cordova will be known in time. Report to your handlers during your mid day break. Missions are to begin in a week. Dismissed." Hands fell at the same time and all saluted in sync. She returned the sentiment and walked back over to Korsak. The two of them began to leave. She turned and looked back over at the young man once more before she was gone.

Some people turned and immediately left. Other's seemed to know protocol and waited silently standing at attention until the appointed time for them to leave. Soon, Dean was the only man left standing. Organizing these missions was going to be a pain in the ass. He knew he was going to need help. The only man he could trust was Sean Cavanaugh. However, he would need permission to bring him aboard. He would also need to know how much information he was allowed to share. He walked out and was headed to Maura's quarters. She needed to understand that he needed support.


	4. Chapter 4

**Year 2315-**

Susan Chang walked down the long, white hallway. Her boots clapped their way as she passed many closed doors until she reached the end. One of her hands slipped out from underneath the stack of folders in her arms and swiped her hand over the reader. She stood for a beat as the door opened and she rushed inside. The door closed behind her.

Making her way through the lab, she tightly smiled at a few people who were working at various tables that were lined up down the long room. She turned to the right and her desk was the landing ground for the papers she carried. Pulling out the chair and sitting with a small huff, she opened the first folder. The Delta clan insignia was at the top of the page. The list of all of the infants born in the last month were listed with their date of birth and identification number.

Susan flipped the page and read through each of the families records of all seven of the children. The screen in front of her blinked and she swiped her hand across it. She began to input the data and created new files for each infant and categorized them into the Clan and family. She swiped the screen clean and went to her lab table. Taking a vile of blood she wrote down the name and identification number down on the paper and then began the process of extracting the DNA and genetic profiles of each of the seven vials.

As she set the last vial back in the storage container, she heard someone shuffle behind her. she turned and saw Cabinet member Charles Hoyt standing there. He stood there for a moment as his lips curled into an unsettled grin. "Dr. Chang, always doing good work."

Momentarily stunned, Susie shyly looked away, "I'm just doing my job, sir."

"And you do it so well. You know, since I've been in charge of this operation, I'm not sure I've seen anyone read genetic markers quite like you." When he spoke it was almost oily as he snarled out each word.

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, for the purpose of my visit. Have you been able to determine which of this clan's new little ones have the trait I've been looking for?"

"No, sir. No one in the last few months have had the trait. I'm running tests looking for it on the last seven children born in the quarter."

He tilted his head slightly. "Contact me immediately if any of them have it. I'm growing impatient."

"Yes, sir." She watched as he turned and walked away. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She felt the pressure. She had been tasked to find someone in Cordova with a very particular genetic makeup. Someone had access to a genetic mutation. It had to have come from some person. If this was the case, some newborn could have the same genetic mutation. As far as Susie knew, it was deadly. She wanted to protect the lives of people. People who had already come from those that almost were extinct all those years ago. She went back to her files, she went back to her tedious work.

The Cabinet member went straight to his office. He called in his apprentice. He stood at the back of the office and pulled a book from a shelf. The wall opened and he walked into it with a man following close behind him. They walked down a long dimly lit corridor until it opened up into a room full of screens along the walls. There was a large table in the middle that had a world map with figures sitting around them. "I'm concerned that our plan is going to fail, Andrew. I won't stand for it. It's been over 20 years, I'm growing tired of waiting. We need to find the source of this new medicine of Dr. Isles. Give me an update I can be happy with."

Andrew nodded slightly, "We have successfully penetrated the outside defenses in the Former Asia and Former Europe colonies. As you know there are only three colonies that we know of in Former Asia, we've set up a perimeter around all three of them." He waved at the figurines on the table and moved a few around to get his point across. "We have the virus ready to completely wipe them out. We've released it in small amounts with heavy casualties in one colony, however, Dr. Isles and her group of doctors has kept it from spreading the way we had hoped. The President has called to meet with President Isles to thank her for coordinating efforts."

Hoyt sat in a chair and snarled. "Maybe we need to push a bit more on the ground. I don't want to make it obvious what we're trying to do or she'll bring military presence and the entire operation will be compromised. Have you been gathering those that come back?" Andrew nodded. "Excellent. The problem is that not all are coming back with the traits of a soldier. We need to find this new strain. Tell me more about Former Europe."

"We still have not been able to get to eight colonies. We have two that we have been able to start collections. Our troops are getting restless. We've been encountering more Cordovan troops and turning them to our cause. There are a few calls from the colony leadership that are blaming President Isles." Andrew straightened and grinned. He knew that this would be pleasing to his master.

"Excellent. We have to make it look as though she has her sights on foreign soil. The only problem I can see is if we move too quickly. I've been doing this slowly for the last twenty years. We've already put Former Africa in complete ruin. With that idiot husband of Dr. Isles, completely ignoring that his people are disappearing. Keep sending him women. Keep him distracted. Do not send troops to the other colonies yet. We still need to continue collecting. That reminds me." He stood and grabbed an apron. He opened a door where two people were tied up. He walked in with a crooked grin.

"Ah, the love birds. Sir, you are looking well today." He grabbed a scalpel sitting on the table. He walked over and sliced a thin line along the man's neck. A muffled scream came from the woman. He turned as the crimson blood began to trickle down his neck. "You almost made me miss the best part. Don't you worry. I'll take care of you next. Just sit back and enjoy the show. Don't you agree Andrew?" He looked at the now closed door. Andrew was standing in front of it watching silently. The tall man nodded, not saying a word.

* * *

Captain Jane Rizzoli was on watch as she and Dr. Isles walked across the Capitol campus. The long park through the center of the campus was full of people laughing and relaxing. Every so often she slowed her pace to look over at Maura, who was smiling ear to ear. "You know, that you don't have to be so vigilant right now in the middle of the day." Jane smiled sheepishly. "Besides, I would rather walk with you instead of behind you. Although, I don't mind the view."

"Shhh!" Jane hissed looking around into the trees. "You know they are watching and listening." She walked in step with the smaller woman.

"Don't be so paranoid, me making a comment about you isn't for concern. My mother would roll her eyes and tell me that I could look and not touch." Jane blushed. "We are going to be together all of the time, you can't walk around worried someone might find something out."

Jane threw up her hands, "I just. This is my life. You are forbidden. I'm allowed to be a little paranoid."

Maura lifted an eyebrow as they reached their destination. Jane opened the door for her and followed behind. Doris was sitting behind the desk. "Captain Rizzoli!" She said a little too happily. "I guess I'm lucky enough to see you twice in one day. It's too bad about you having to cancel dinner." Jane shifted on her feet.

Maura narrowed her eyes, "Yes, that is too bad isn't it. She'll be having dinner with me from now on."

"Yes, Doctor Isles. I understand." She clicked on the desk and let Constance know that her daughter was present.

Jane looked at the two women and could almost touch the awkwardness in the room. The door swooshed open and Maura began to walk in. "Jane, you are coming with me."

"Oh, I usually stay out here." Maura's stern look seemed like she was about to throw a hammer. "But today, I am coming with you." Jane nodded at Doris and followed behind.

"Darling!" President Isles said as she came around her desk to greet her daughter. "Captain Rizzoli, this is a surprise."

"For me too, President Isles." Maura glared at her.

"Mother, if Captain Rizzoli is going to be with me all the time, she's going to find out sooner or later. I would rather sooner."

"Fair enough. What have you heard from Dean?"

"There is trouble with the Former Asian colonies. The intelligence that we've gathered is that the rebel troops have all three colonies surrounded however the collecting has ceased. They started leaking the virus into the largest group. We've managed to hold them off for now. The antidote is running low." She looked over at Jane.

Jane was standing there confused. What intelligence gathering? Why was she meeting with her mother about military issues? What rebel group? She immediately started to think back to her time with Korsak and see if there were small pieces that she had missed.

"Well," President Isles also looked at Jane. "If she's going to be a part of this, then we should give her the appropriate clearance." Maura nodded.

"Jane, please have a seat." Without question, Jane sat on the nearest chair. Maura began slowly. "For the past twenty years, there has been a rebel group that has been moving through different territories all over the world causing problems. They wear uniforms that are very similar to the one you're wearing now. This has caused our Country a lot of foreign relations problems."

"Cordova has been working like a finely tuned machine, but we've be unable to fight back since we don't really know who we are fighting. I am the commander of a secret group, Code of Promise. Our military regime is the elite of your station. No one in Cordova knows about this. It's necessary for many reasons. You are looking at me as though I just told you that Santa Claus isn't real." Maura clasped her hands together.

"I...uh, I'm just trying to make sense of what you're saying. Why isn't our military fit to handle this issue?"

"We are a people of peace, Captain," President Isles began. "Bringing in military presence any heavier than we already have in place will make us look like bullies. Our relationship with the leaders of the world have been held together with small pieces of string. We can't just barge in and find specific targets when we only have an idea of how pieces are connected to the top. We can't just cut off the head of the beast, we don't know who that is."

"We started an intelligence group that is more secret than anything else in Cordova. They used to be taken as young children and killed. But I found a new purpose that saved these people's lives."

"The unknowns? Tommy!"

"Yes, Captain Rizzoli, your brother is alive and well. He is one of our finest officers. You've seen him before. I put him on your service as soon as I could."

"Oh my God, that's Tommy?" Jane shrieked as she realized that she should have recognized that dark mop of hair on her latest servant. "But he was serving me."

"Yes, that is their day job. If they stay too long in the field, they have a greater chance of being collected by rebels. We've already lost too many."

"That's why they rotate so often. You have them hiding in plain sight." Jane was starting to connect a few dots.

President Isles sat next to Jane, "I know this is a lot to take in. Please know this is of utmost importance that no one ever hears about this. Not even the entire Cabinet is privy to this information."

"Ma'am, you mentioned Dean. What is this virus? Why aren't we making more antidote?"

"Jane," Maura started. "The rebels are attempting to wipe out a colony in Former Asia. The reason we have run out of antidote is because..." She paused and looked at her mother. "Because you haven't had a reason to go to the doctor for a physical and we can't allow anyone to be suspicious. We couldn't let you know what we were doing."

"What does me going to the doctor have to do with anything?"

Maura reached out and grabbed her hands. "Have you ever noticed that you've never been sick?"

"Yeah, I joke around all the time about how healthy I am. I've never had so much as a sniffle."

"When you were in your early teens, Dr. Faulkner realized that as well. He ran tests on your blood."

"Yeah, I had to go in twice a week for a month."

"They found that you have a genetic mutation that cures any virus it comes in contact with. It's immediate. We have been using that blood in very small amounts to medicines. When there is a threat, my team goes out and distributes the medicine to rid various areas of viral outbreaks. The most interesting thing about your blood is that when people die with this virus, they are reanimated. They are empty corpses. But when treated with the concoction created with your blood, they die again."

"You're kidding me right?" Jane looked at the President sitting next to her and then back to Maura. The doctor shook her head.

"But after they are gone, within a week, they are alive. Their brain activity come back, their hearts begin to beat again, air fills their lungs. Their cognitive abilities begin to return, within a year, they are completely back with memories and skills. They are coming back to their lives. We have teams all over the world that help the process of their re-entry. We've found three others that have other genetic mutations that help with the process of memory recovery."

"Who else is involved in this? There are three others like me?"

"Yes." Maura looked at her mother who nodded. "I can not give you their identity. But I will tell you that your friend Frost...is one of the three. He can read minds. He travels now with Korsak to many areas to help people recover."

"You realize that you sound completely insane right now! Frost can't read people's minds!"

"One thing you need to know about me is that I cannot tell a lie. I avoid many situations where my inability to lie could compromise things. I will never lie to you, Jane." President Isles watched her daughter's face.

Jane was shocked by everything that was being said. It was easier to react to this. "You can't tell a lie? Seriously?"

"I go vasovagal...I start getting hives and then I faint. I can omit information, that isn't the same thing."

"So, I have special magic blood that saves people? Why wouldn't anyone tell me that? I want to help." Jane pulled her hands out of Maura's and sat up straighter.

"You have to understand, Captain. You were a small girl. That is too much burden to bear. I made the decision to not inform anyone. It's also a risk because you would have become a target if anyone found out. I was trying to keep you and your family safe. And before you ask, I've never told a civilian what happens to people like your brother before I met your mother. Angela and I have been very close over the years. She is so proud of all three of you."

Jane was suddenly overwhelmed, "Ma knows about Tommy?" President Isles nodded. She closed her eyes, "Thank you. What can I do now?" She looked back to Maura. "Maur, whatever you need, I'll do it." The formality of the situation escaped her momentarily. Maura blushed at the new pet name.

"Well, first I think that you and I need to have a long discussion. I have always wanted you on my squadron. Frankie has been a good soldier for us and I knew you'd be an even better one. After we really talk, where it's safe, we can decide if we can figure out a way to meet with Dr. Faulkner without anyone knowing."

"Captain Rizzoli, I am glad that you are now a part of this. I need not remind you the importance of keeping this new information to yourself. Please step outside while I have a private word with my daughter." Jane nodded and walked out to where Doris was sitting.

"Daughter, you are playing with fire." Constance said as soon as the door swooshed shut. "She is a beautiful woman, but you can't be with her. What will happen when she finds out that you are already married?"

"You call that a marriage? You married me off when I was 17 to a man I have never even met besides the one night."

"It was necessary at the time and you agreed with me."

"I know I did. But I will not pretend that I am not attracted to Jane. You know that I have been since I first met her."

"Maura, attraction and love are not the same things."

"I don't have love with my husband. I can't even pronounce his name. He is over in Former Africa with his hundreds of concubines. What is the difference if I had Jane?"

"It's purely political. That is why you are forbidden as far as Cordova is concerned. If you sleep with this woman you..."

"I...what? Will have a uprising on my head? I am the Queen of 3 of his tribes. I am the Commander of the Code of Promise. I am the head physician for our nation. When can I just be allowed to be Maura and love her?"

"Oh Darling, if it were that simple. You've already been with her haven't you?" Maura looked away and slowly nodded. "Then, you'd better keep it hidden better than you did with me today. You make her understand the severity of this situation and you act cold towards her when you are not in the privacy of your own home."

Maura took a deep breath. "Yes, mother." With that, she turned and walked out of the office.


	5. Chapter 5

**Year 2302 -**

Angela Rizzoli had not had a good night. She spent most of it holding her youngest son Thomas in her arms. It was now his seventh birthday. She called her second in command of the kitchens and told him that she would not be in today. She played with trucks on his bedroom floor with him until he got bored. Then he dumped out some puzzles. She took a deep breath as they sorted out pieces. She had grabbed him often and hugged him and kissed the top of his head and told him how much she loved him. He squirmed away a few times and allowed them the others.

They spent the entire day together, just the two of them. Much too soon, there was a knock at the front door. President Isles stood before her and Angela began to cry. "Mrs. Rizzoli, I'm President Isles." Angela pulled herself together and took her hand and invited her inside. "This must be Thomas!" The woman said when Tommy came running around the corner. He grabbed his mother and was shy in front of the life sized image of the president he had seen on an image every day for his entire life.

After a few minutes of small talk, and a very tearful goodbye, President Isles asked her escort to take Tommy to her car. She had Angela sit down and she grabbed a contraption out of her jacket pocket and pressed the button. "Mrs. Rizzoli, I must say that I hope that you can call me Constance. I have never done this before. Told anyone this before. You are an amazing woman who has sacrificed for Cordova. Your daughter is remarkable and so much more special than you even know. Your eldest son is beyond honorable. I am so incredibly honored to know them and have them working with me. I also knew your husband quite well and was very upset at his disappearance. Believe me, I had my own personal team searching for him."

Angela's face was numb. She didn't move a muscle, nor did she look at her President. "Thank you."

"If I tell you what I'm about to tell you, I must warn you. If anyone ever hears this, you will be charged with high treason." That got her attention. She looked up hard and curiously at Constance. "The unknowns are not killed the way people believe them to be. They are actually taken to a secret location and are taught specific skills. They serve Cordova in a way no one else could ever hope to serve. Your son will be a hero and you will see him again one day. I cannot promise you when that day will come, but I can say that you have a very special family and I personally will make sure that they are all taken care of."

"Are you trying to make me feel better?"

"No, Mrs. Rizzoli. I am being honest with you. I pick up a lot of children everyday. Attempting to make the parents feel better. I never tell them classified information. I make sure that I do this so that people can see that they are doing the right thing for our society. People were almost exterminated completely. We finally have people living safely without threats to our peace. I hand picked your daughter to serve on my Cabinet security. I know her quite well and I also know Frankie. Tommy is destined for great things."

Angela sat there for a moment and considered her words. Instead of speaking she suddenly stood and grabbed the other woman into a strong hug. She whispered thank you a few times before she released her. Wiping tears from her face Angela stood back and smiled. Constance returned the sentiment with her own grin. "Now, I must get him back with me. Perhaps, if my schedule allows it, you could come to the Capital for lunch?"

"I'd like that very much, President Isles. Thank you for the invitation." She didn't believe that would ever happen. It was something nice that she was saying to make a woman feel better about losing her youngest child. She watched the woman leave her house as she stood in the living room and looked around. She looked at the time and knew that she had a small while until she was required to be at the table for dinner.

A few months later, Angela was working in the kitchen when her assistant interrupted her pasta making. "Chef, you have a private call in your office."

"I'm making the pasta dough, can't it wait?"

"No, Ma'am. It's President Isles." Angela started wiping her flour covered hands on her apron. She walked quickly to her office. She walked in the door and hovering over her desk was an image of President Isles head smiling at her.

"Angela, I'm so sorry for not getting in touch with you sooner. I have a free day tomorrow. I will send for you first thing in the morning. Let your substitute know he will be taking over meals for the next three days."

Angela was shocked. She hadn't expected this. She wasn't going to turn it down either. She nodded vigorously, "Absolutely, Madam President."

"Please! Call me Constance. For the next three days, we will be friends." Angela smiled demurely again and bowed her head slightly. "They will arrive at six in the morning. I shall see you soon." Suddenly, her head shrivelled up and disappeared. Angela stuck her head out of the office.

"Carla! Get me Giovanni, he's going to be in charge for a few days for me." Carla disappeared down the long hallway. In a few moments, a tall, lanky (yet well built) man was walking towards her. He was covered in chocolate, which looked more like car grease. He ran a hand through his longer dark hair and smiled when he saw Angela.

"Hey, Mama R! You goin' out of town for a while?"

"Yes, come into my office." He came in and sat down. "President Isles has invited me to the Capital for the next three days." She swiped her hand over her desk and a calendar and other words flew up off of the surface. She grabbed the three blocks showing the next three days, the rest of the month disappeared and she touched the first block. A long list of words appeared. "Alright, these are the birthdays for tomorrow, make sure each family gets their own special cake made for the birthday person. Breakfast prep starts early. You need to be here and make sure that Mark and Lilian do not cause that disaster that happened two weeks ago. Those two cannot work on the same line." Giovanni listened intently. As she wrapped up her instructions, he told her that he would make sure everything was handled while she was gone.

Angela dismissed him and walked back out to her pasta table. Marie was finishing what she had started. She thanked her and went to oversee the rest of the dinner preparation. She had no idea that the next three days she really would become close to the President of her country. Over the years, they planned for similar weekends or odd days where each woman could make the time. Angela never told Jane of her friend when she came to visit while on leave. She enjoyed listening to stories of Jane's life in the Capital. Time spent with her daughter was better listening and talking about her.

* * *

**Year 2315 -**

The door closed swiftly behind Jane as they entered Maura's house. Without even turning around, Maura asked Jane to sit. She obliged and Maura sat down next to her. "I have to be completely honest with you about a few things. First of all, I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner. We were trying to find a way to not have to use your blood directly. I wanted to keep you safe and out of this entire thing."

"Hey, don't worry about that. I know now. So, let me help moving forward."

Maura looked into dark pools and closed her eyes. She knew she'd have to tell Jane about her husband and why they couldn't tell anyone about them. She wasn't sure how she was going to do that. She opened her eyes and smiled. "The reason I have been forbidden to marry anyone is because I am already married." Jane shifted and leaned back away from her. "Please know that it was an arranged political marriage. I had no say. I've only met him once. He is a big deal in Former Africa. It's only political. He has a house of wives. I am one of many."

"You understand this is a lot of new information for me for one day." Jane said holding her hands out in front of her.

"Yes. I told my mother my intention was to be with you. She said that for now we have to keep this between just us. She could see how I was looking at you and knew."

"She knew? She's not going to kill me?" Maura laughed and shook her head.

"Jane. Would you be able to handle working with me and for me?" Jane nodded. "And dating me in secret?" Jane paused and looked at her for a moment before shaking her head slightly. The Doctor's heart sank. The Captain reached up and grabbed the sides of her face and pulled her in for a slow kiss. When they finally pulled back from one another, Maura gasped.

"Maura, I want to be in this with you. I want to help my country. I don't care if this has to just be for us for now. No one needs to know about us. I want to get to know you. The chance of being with you is more than I ever could have hoped for. I'm ready to deal with this." She reached up and put her hands over Jane's hands, which were still gently holding her cheeks. Her thumb rubbed back and forth across her knuckles.

"I'm going to have to be colder towards you in public. You will be my own personal military escort, nothing more."

"Ok," Jane leaned forward and kissed her again. "As long as I get to do this here..."

"Anytime you'd like."

Jane smiled, "Then, I'll deal with how you treat me out there. But you can't be jealous with people like Doris."

"Jealous? How dare you suggest..." the rest of the sentence fell silent. She looked down for a moment and realized that she had acted rather rashly in front of her mother's assistant. "Well, she was flirting with you right in front of me. You were going to go to dinner with her weren't you?"

"First of all, she asked me out this morning. Then, your mother gave me new orders. I ended up here with you in your bed. I've dated people around the Capital."

"Yes, I know. This may be more difficult for me than it will be for you."

Jane slid her hands into her lap and pulled Maura's hands with her. "I've never felt more comfortable with anyone than I do with you. And I've only really talked to you today. I've been attracted to you for years. I think some people have seen it for a long time. I had a conversation with Cabinet member Jones a few weeks ago. He asked me if I still had my eyes set on you. I think I always have."

Maura blushed. "I think I am going to enjoy getting to know you, Jane."

"Likewise." Jane leaned in and kissed Maura again. She pulled back, "What is the plan here? We'll get to know each other over time. But for now, it seems there is a more pressing issue. Do we just need to go to your lab and I'll donate blood?"

Maura thought for a moment. "Honestly, I don't know if it would be safe. I would rather bring supplies home slowly over this week so it is not noticed by staff. Jane, this has to stay between us. It has to stay between as few of people as possible. There is someone who is looking for this to find a way to destroy everything. I don't trust anyone. I can set something up here where we can draw the blood, run tests on it and make the serum. Hopefully, I can make enough to start getting out to help people again."

"Maura, I won't live forever. We have to focus on finding the people who are doing this. We can't just plug the holes in the wall every time a leak springs."

"No, but it's the best we have. Any and all trails we have ever had over the course of 20 years all go cold. As soon as something pops up, we chase it to another dead end. We have our best people involved in the search. But you are correct about one thing, Captain, this is a temporary fix."

"Let me help in other ways. I want to be involved the next time something comes up and this group is suspected. I could be a fresh pair of eyes." Maura looked at her and smiled. She couldn't believe she didn't anticipate Jane's eagerness to help. "Please, let me help in more ways that this." She pointed down to the crook of her arm.

"You'll be at the next officers meeting. We'll go from there."

* * *

The darkness was complete. There was no light from the moon on the forest floor. Heavy brush covered the area in front of the man. The goggles he wore allowed him to see what was around him. Hearing a noise he crouched down slightly. In front of him he saw leaves moving until someone limped out of them. Sound came from a twisted mouth, but no breath ever came back in. The eyes were blank and unfinding. The man looked down and saw a stick on the ground. Picking it up he threw it at the moving corpse. Suddenly, without much effort an arm reached out and caught the stick, looking ready to attack.

He blinked a light above his head and the being seemed to be attracted to it as it began to follow the light as the man moved stealthily back through the forest. He lead the creature for a few miles until he reached the rest of his unit. His light flickered off as another turned on on the inside of a vehicle. Loaded inside, the man flipped off his goggles and spoke. "Take this one to the collection." He raised his hand and spun it around his head. The convoy slowly left leaving him standing near another man.

"It seems that we are only able to find about one out of every five that are infected. Cordova is getting better at finding them first." The second man looked at him sternly.

"Of course they are. You and the others are taking too long. Perhaps, I should report back of your lazy attitude. You are still standing here!"

"Rizzoli, I'm doing the best I can. I already have a lead on the next one. Three of them were headed to the red lake. I'll find them." He turned and started to run off into the jungle. Frankie stood and watched him for a few minutes until he could no longer see any sign of the man. He snapped his fingers. Another man hiding behind a tree came out.

"Sir, I think I know where he's headed. I'll let Cooper know which direction he went. Hopefully, she and her team can find the three before he makes it back out there."

"Tell her she can only look for two. We only have two more antidotes. After that, we'll take the team back home." The soldier nodded and went off to finish their mission. Frankie stood there and wiped his hand over his face. The humidity was terrible here. He wished he was already back home.


	6. Chapter 6

Jane was having trouble sleeping. It was almost as if the entire day had been a dream. She was promoted, put on a new detail, was finally able to act on her feelings for Maura, and was told that most everything she thought was totally different than reality. She made a donation of her blood and spent the rest of the day with Maura. Tommy brought over her things from her bunk and moved them into the extra room. When she saw him she cried and studied him further. He looked at her as if she had two heads. Without meaning to, she grabbed him in a hug, which he awkwardly returned.

Maura explained more of the process to her over dinner. Years ago, the group known to most Cordovans as the "unknowns", had genetic markers that indicated that they were most likely to start a life of violent crime. When this was identified, those children were taken and removed from society. The president before President Isles found it to be a hideous thing and banned the practice. For almost fifty years, they were placed into the working class. Most had no issues and when there were issues, they were taken for a week and reprogrammed. It was President Isles that realized the need for a secret intelligence service and resumed the program. This time, she put them in specialized training to help them utilize traits to become spies. Her hope was that one day, they would eliminate the threat and bring those people back home to their families.

There were certain protocols that caused this group to shift in and out of their roles. They did not know who they were when they were in their servant state. He was only aware of who he was and the people in his life when he was tasked for a mission. Jane said that she understood and was just so happy that he was alive.

She laid in bed with Maura's head resting on her shoulder. She could hear her breathing. She tightened her grip on the sleeping doctor. Maura stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Jane's face slowly came into focus in the dark. "You're awake?"

"Yeah," her voice was rough.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Today was just a lot to take in."

Maura laid there silently for a few moments. Her hand slowly moved across Jane's stomach with purpose. "This isn't exactly how I imagined all of this happening."

"Oh yeah? What sort of fantasies did you have about all of this?" Jane asked with genuine curiosity.

"For starters, the whole bit about bringing you into the fold so quickly was never in my fantasies about you. I just thought that one day we would be in the same place at the same time and you would just want to talk to me. I wanted you to be curious about who I was."

"I've always been curious about who you are. I have never seen a more beautiful woman. I've never been more attracted to anyone I've ever seen, then I have been toward you." She said honestly.

"That would be improbable, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and completely subjective. But I thought that we'd have drinks and get lost in conversation and when it was time for us to leave, you'd walk me home. I would have definitely invited you inside. You would have attempted to resist my charms, but ultimately you would have come inside. I always pictured you making the first move though."

"Uh, you didn't really give me a chance this morning." Maura laughed a bit and vibrated against the taller woman.

"I'm sorry. I have no idea what came over me. I'm not typically like that. I just felt emboldened when I saw the signs of your attraction."

Jane laughed, "The signs of my attraction? It's not like you haven't been bold like that in the past with me."

Maura moved so that she could look into Jane's face, "You mean when I kissed you in the hallway?" Jane nodded her head, "Well, maybe it's just you Jane Rizzoli. But your eyes were dilated, your breathing was uneven, your heart was racing, and you were having some difficulty keeping yourself from complimenting me."

Jane leaned up and kissed her. "You are something else, Maur. I was wondering how I was going to tell your mother that I could not take this assignment. It was going to kill me. Although, now, I think this could be the best thing to ever happen to me."

"Let's get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us." She nuzzled back into her spot and listened until she heard Jane breathing low and steady. She had finally fallen asleep. Maura traced random patterns on Jane's abdomen with her finger, until she herself had drifted into dreamland.

* * *

Sean Cavanaugh was sitting in a room waiting. Soon, the door opened and Vince and Gabriel walked inside. "It's about time," he said.

"Sorry, Sean." Korsak said with a wave of his hand. "The Commander was giving me a brief update. She will be here soon. She's bringing in someone new."

"Who?" No one besides the three of them were allowed to meet with Maura unless there was a substantial new development. Sean was the last one to be brought up to speed and that was years ago.

"Jane Rizzoli, herself." Dean said as he took his place at the table. After the men were seated they briefly talked about how their families were doing until the door opened again. Maura walked in with a strong air of authority and sat at the head of the table. Behind her was Jane.

"Captain Rizzoli, please take a seat." The woman commanded. Jane obeyed and sat between Sean and Gabriel. "Collections are still happening. We've managed to infiltrate one collection cell and have people on the inside. The problem is that no one knows who it is that they are answering to." Maura looked at Dean. "Gabriel, why don't you give us an update."

Dean swiped his hand over the table. Suddenly, they were all looking at a dense forest. "This area is in the mountains of Former China. There is a long river that keeps a small colony along the banks. He pulled his two hand apart and the forest shrank into a mountainous area with a river cutting through. The river runs into a large lake." He shifted his hands and the lights rotated to show a large body of water. "We finally found the weapon that is injecting the virus into people. We have it back in our labs and we have reverse engineered it."

He picked up and moved the map out of the way and pulled up another image of what looked to be a standard issue Cordovan service weapon. He struck the image with his fist and it separated itself into pieces. He reached in and pulled out a vile in the center. He made it larger as everyone at the table studied it. "This right here is the cartridge that holds the virus. We found initials on it. F.R. some sick bastard is now signing his work. We found that what this cartridge does. It is shot out of the weapon almost as a small dart. When it hits its target, there is a small explosion into the skin which propels the virus through the body. This is why it is running through people so quickly. The virus is accompanied by nanobots. This is what is giving the corpses the ability to fight. It may even be what it causing them to reanimate."

"This is the biggest breakthrough we have had in years. Getting a team to infiltrate a collection group has been our biggest obstacle." Dean looked at Jane. She nodded in understanding. "With this weapon, we can now study exactly what is being injected. We had no idea that this was anything but a biohazardous virus. Now, we know it is much worse than that."

Jane looked around the room and spoke up, "How do we know that when we are bringing people back that these nanobots are out of their system?"

"We don't. We have no idea whether these are new or if they have a time limit on how long they control and we have no idea if they can cause problems in the future." Cavanaugh said. "I have my team on it."

"Forgive me for not being completely in the know here, but what exactly do you all do?" Jane asked.

Maura tried to not smile. She had a feeling that this was going to be the best thing for their investigation. Jane was beyond intelligent. She had studied her file for years, but seeing her sitting there thinking and engaging was a completely different experience. "Jane, forgive me. Dean is in control of the Code of Promise. He handles and controls the missions of our intelligence gathering. Cavanaugh has a secret lab where we conduct all of our research and where we have been developing the antidote. Korsak has a small team of Cordovan military that has now successfully joined a fully operational collection group. He also has smaller groups of troops that locate those who have been turned and brings them back. I arrive with my team and typically, we start their year long therapy. The biggest problem is that on my last trip we had found nearly twenty-five who had turned. We successfully brought them back and as we were smuggling them out of the area to a safe location, our convoy was attacked by a collection group. Fourteen of the people that we had helped were killed and we barely made it out ourselves."

Jane thought for a few moments. "Do you collect people from our own clans?"

"What? No, we would never do that." Maura said quickly.

"I mean, in my clan, when I was younger, there were a few people who disappeared in the middle of the night."

"Jane, those were rumors." Korsak said.

"No, they weren't. My father was taken. We were scared to talk about it. Everyone growing up was scared to talk about it. I saw him taken in straps by two Cordovan Lieutenants."

Dean laughed. "The only people taken in the straps are those who have been disobedient. They return a week after their reversion therapy is completed."

"That's not true. My father was never returned."

"Perhaps, he died during the therapy." Dean postulated.

"Actually, Gabriel, Jane's father did disappear. My mother had a task force that searched for him. They never found him. He also worked on explosives and other weapons. His work was very unique. My mother favored him." Maura looked over at Jane as she realized at the same time that Jane did. "Oh my God, Jane. F.R. This is your father's creation."

Jane looked at Maura. "Do you think it's possible that whoever is behind this was collecting people in the clans to move their agenda forward?" Maura nodded.

"Hold on a minute. How do we know that your father isn't a willing participant in this?" Cavanaugh questioned.

"We don't." Jane said quickly. "But if we could maybe look into the clan disappearances, we may be able to find out if someone has been collecting for longer than we think. There may be a pattern to who was taken and why. My father was a weapons expert. He was clearly useful to someone."

Maura instructed Dean to put together a mission to send intelligence teams out to each of the six clans to find out who in the last thirty years suddenly disappeared, what their talents were, and what were the circumstances when they were taken. If Jane had never mentioned what she saw, perhaps other witnesses need a bit more coaxing to talk. Maura was very pleased. This was a new lead. She almost felt foolish for missing the option to look at home for similar activity. She had been too focused on what was happening elsewhere in the world. Having Jane here was going to change things. She knew it would help them find who was behind this.

The meeting was dismissed and Jane was told of the dismissal protocol. One person was to leave at a time in a random time pattern. Dean left as Cavanaugh stood counting quietly to himself. Suddenly, he walked towards the door. Korsak just looked at his watch. "I've never been one to give this up. I just wait until the clock says go." With that, his time had come as he, too, walked out of the door.

"You and I will always leave together. But it's better this way. You know of the surveillance that is every where. As the last to leave we only have to wait a few minutes but we also have the option to wait longer if we'd like." Maura walked around the table and kissed Jane. "Thank you so much for being here. I think you are going to help us get closer to the end than we've ever been before." Jane grinned and grabbed her around her waist.

"Do you have any idea how sexy you are when you are all business, my Commander?" Maura laughed.

"I could ask you the same thing." She pushed up slightly and kissed Jane again. "Let's go. We have another meeting." She turned and walked out of the room, with Jane following closely behind.

* * *

The next two meetings went by fairly slowly for Jane. Maura invited her to attend each meeting so that she could get an idea of what Maura did everyday. The first was a much different experience. Maura met with a few other doctors to get an update on various illnesses that were being seen in the clans. She was more quiet and demure. She allowed the other doctors in the room run the meeting and sat and only offered suggestions on different treatment plans. It was quite the contrast to how she seemed to take control before.

Maura insisted that they had lunch at her favorite café. The Capital was different from the clans. Each clan had a group of people that prepared every meal. Where you were during lunchtime was where you were served. In the Capital, there were restaurants and other places that didn't exist anywhere else in Cordova. When first arriving here, Jane was a little offended, considering she knew how hard her mother worked to put together meals. That soon faded when the realization that she could choose what she felt like eating, when she wanted to eat it.

"You know, it would be healthier if you ate more vegetables. Especially, the greens. That's why I have a salad." Maura said as she stabbed into a pile of lettuce.

Jane retracted the large, grease dripping sandwich from her mouth. She smiled slightly as she groaned and chewed the bite. After swallowing and rolling her eyes, she leaned into the table and whispered, "I have super powers, I can eat whatever I want." She sat back and winked as the doctor made a small irritated face.

"Which you weren't even aware of until yesterday. What was your excuse until then?"

She just shrugged her shoulders and took another large bite. They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Every so often catching the other in the eyes and smiling. Jane looked around the room, there were quite a few people sitting at various tables. She looked back at Maura. "It's nice in here. Pretty quiet, but enough people are here to let others know that the food is good." Maura took a breath to respond.

"Jane Rizzoli! What are you doing in a place like this?" Came the voice loudly across the room. Maura looked over to where the voice had come from. A tall woman, with blond hair that fell over her shoulders and covered the Cordova insignia on her upper left shoulder of her uniform. She looked back at Jane who did not look excited to see this person.

"Mel! Hey!" Jane said awkwardly. She wiped the corners of her mouth and stood up. Melanie came over and pulled Jane into a hug. When she pulled back she grabbed Jane's face and kissed her. Jane pushed her back and looked over at Maura, who looked angry. "Mel, come on. I'm on duty."

"Oh, come on! You haven't called me in a couple weeks. You don't just take a girl out and give her the time of her life and not call her for a few weeks." Jane paused for a moment.

"Jane, would you like to introduce me to your...friend?" Maura said as she stood up. Melanie spun around and took in the sight of the doctor.

"Yeah, Jane." She agreed. "Who is this?"

"Melanie, this is my boss. Maura Isles. Ms. Isles, this is Melanie." She introduced quickly.

"OH!" Mel said realizing she made the wrong assumption. This one was off limits, even for Jane Rizzoli. "Ms. Isles! It's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry." She started laughing. "For a minute, I thought Jane was brushing me off for you!" No one else was laughing in this scenario. But the woman was positively ecstatic. Maura wanted to slap her across that face of hers and Jane wanted to tell her that was exactly the case. Both women looked at each other and knew this was where they had to push their feelings aside.

Jane started to force herself to laugh. "Me and her? Come on! I was just promoted and she's just my new assignment. Although, it is a full time gig. I'm not able to date anyone anymore. You knew I was a military woman, Mel. We had a great time and if I wasn't reassigned we would have continued our little thing." She watched the woman's face fall slightly.

"Yes, well, I'm terribly sorry for this entire situation...uh...Mel, is it? However, Jane will not have time to go galavanting around with anyone. Jane, I'm finished with my meal. My meeting will start soon." She purposely walked between them and went outside. Jane watched her go and looked back to Mel.

"I've gotta go. I'm sorry. It was great to see you!" She put her hand on Mel's shoulder and followed Maura. There were a lot of people walking around and a few people were placing ribbons and other festive decorations on trees and almost every other thing in sight. She used her long legs to her advantage and caught up to the other woman. "Ms. Isles."

Maura stopped walking and turned to Jane with a smile. "How was that?" She asked excitedly. Jane looked up around. She pulled Maura by the arm underneath a tree with a large canopy. She looked around at the passing people and looked up for a drone. Seeing none, she smiled.

"You did great until the end there." She talked through a tight lip. "We'll talk about it later, at home. When we are alone and safe." Maura smiled and her eyes glimmered. Quickly, she put on a serious face.

She raised her voice and out came a stern tone, "I do not care about your personal life, Captain Rizzoli, but when you are on duty, I expect you to stay professional." She gave a small wink and turned on her heel. The volume at which Maura scolded caused a few people to turn their attention there way.

"Yes, Ms. Isles. It won't happen again." Jane looked around and waved at a few people dismissively as she followed behind. She admired the woman for her efforts. She could tell that the situation had bothered her, but she pulled it together. Soon they arrived at the location of yet another boring meeting.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Apologies. I have made a significant move in my life. New job, new apartment, new city, and it has been hectic. **

The sun was blazing in the sky. The heat was almost unbearable for the man who took his hat from his head and wiped his brow. He looked at his work table and shook his head. He gripped the small device and held it above the small chip. Looking through a large magnifying glass, he expertly placed a small sliver into the green board. He looked around the large room that he was sitting in. He sighed frustratedly when he saw the large man standing at the door.

He looked over to the small pile of discarded circuit boards on the end of his table. He pushed his chair back and walked over to another table. He swiped his hands over it and a light came on as a large version of what he was just working on appeared. He pulled his hands apart and move the smallest piece around as he thought about the problem. He was stubborn, that man. His face had grown long and his hair was beyond greying. His eyes were sunk into his skull and his entire body felt tired.

Frank Rizzoli struggled to stand upright as the large light flickered. He moved slightly as he saw something. He leaned closer and grinned to himself. He looked back up at the behemoth standing guard. The man mouthed something and grabbed his weapon and pointed it at Frank. He knew what that meant. He raised his hand over the table and held both hands in the air. He rolled his eyes slightly as four more large men entered the room all pointing their weapons at the man standing in the middle of the room.

Behind them walked an older man whose hair was nearly white. His face snarled as he set his small dark eyes on Frank. "Mr. Rizzoli. How is the latest project coming along?" His voice was rough and after years of listening to it, it felt more like sandpaper scratching his ears.

"Mr. Hoyt, I am working on the mainframe right now. I think I should have it ready in another week or so. If you could let President Isles know that I am putting in a high level of effort on this project of hers. I would appreciate it." He faked a smile.

"Oh, I'll be sure to let her know." Hoyt made a noise that almost sounded like a laugh. "You are doing a fine job. I know you are currently working on this project. There has been a development that need attention first. While your ingenious weapon is helping us win the war of the world, we need more. The outer colonies are gaining ground and they have a small group of troops that have landed on Cordovan soil." Frank's head dropped.

This is what he was working to stop for the past twenty years. When he was taken in the middle of the night, he was immediately taken to the warehouse that he was now standing in. That was when he first met Cabinet Member Hoyt. He was told of the war that was starting in the outer colonies. He was needed and was hand picked by President Isles to head up the weapons development for the troops. After a few more weeks of what seemed like torture, Frank decided to accept the position. There were also vague threats against his family. He was angry that such a peaceful leader would use such a cruel tactic by keeping him from his family. Over the years, the anger dissipated. He was a working drone now. There was always a hope that the war would be over and he would be reunited with his beautiful wife and three...well, now just two children. At least, he was assured that they were told of his sacrifice. They understood and sent their love through Mr. Hoyt.

Thinking now about what the world was like outside of his domain made him sad. His children, now grown were probably out on the front lines fighting to keep the outer colonies off Cordovan soil. If there are troops finally here, he had failed.

"Mr. Rizzoli, we need something that can inject multiple people at once. Again, with this humane way of controlling waves of attacks, we will be able to safely send them back to their colony." Frank only had information based on what Mr. Hoyt said to him. He had no other choice than to trust him.

"Mr. Hoyt I will do my best to come up with something that can inject more people at once. I'll get started right away."

"I want you to come up with three different options that we will discuss tomorrow." The man turned to walk out of the room.

"I have two ideas presently. I've been worried about how our troops are losing their lives, while we are saving those assholes who want to ruin our entire country."

Hoyt pressed his fingers together and slowly turned back around. "I'm listening."

"I think we need to mass produce drones. That way our troops can fight this war from behind a screen and not face to face. They used to fight that like before. I also think we've been too nice. If they started having the casualties that we've had to suffer, I think they'd back off."

Hoyt took a few steps toward the old man. "You know that we tried that at first. Killing is such a nasty business. Our race was nearly extinct. We have not lost a Cordovan soldier in over six months. It's been more of a tactical movement on both sides."

"My kids are out there fighting! This has been going on for twenty years! Why don't we just go in and show them who's boss! Isles is too soft, this is what we get for havin' a woman in charge. You should run this country, sir!" Hoyt tilted his head slightly, intrigued by this new development.

"How dare you, Sir!" He said harshly. Frank immediately apologized for his outburst, as he fell to his knees. "Get me a prototype by the end of the week and we will see if it's worth bring to President Isles attention." With that he turned and left Frank to his work. When only the last man remained, the weapon was lowered and placed back over his shoulder, did Frank sit back down in the chair. He closed his eyes and imagined his wife. He had missed her over the years and wished that he could hold her.

His mind began to drift to the task at hand. If he was going to come up with a drone to take out the enemy, he needed a new way to transfer the controlling agent in the virus that was described to him as a temporary necessity in the art of war. The virus was something that was injected into the enemy and then they were collected and taken back to the outskirts of their colony. It was supposedly a humane way to eliminate the need for war. What always confused Frank Rizzoli, was if this was effective. Why were they still using the tactic if there were still small armies attacking Cordova. The first time that he questioned this, he was taken into a dark room for weeks with little food or water. Then, he was placed in a room with the light on all the time and if he fell asleep someone would come in and wake him up. He realized during this time that asking questions of a political nature were not worth the punishment. If he praised Cabinet member Hoyt on his own leadership, any slip was quickly forgiven.

The virus could spread more easily if it was ingested. The only problem he saw was from what he learned in history class. The Garnier virus was a biological attack as the virus was breathed in. There was no control over who could breath in the virus or who couldn't. It nearly wiped out the human existence. That was one thing he understood. They did not design the virus as an airborne pathogen because the people of Cordova would be susceptible. If the virus was ingestible, the same issue would present itself. This was why it was transferred through injection.

The control of whom was affected was of utmost importance. If he was to find a way to inject multiple people on a front line of hand to hand combat, he would need to be more creative. He would have to come up with a different type of warfare. He wished he could talk with someone other than Hoyt. Another one of the people working on the creation of the virus. He would have to ask for permission from Hoyt tomorrow. He had a new sense of urgency. The enemy was now on Cordovan soil. His country needed to be protected at all costs.

* * *

Maura sat down on her couch as Jane sat next to her. "Today was too much. I am exhausted." She huffed and Jane laughed.

"At least you were engaged in conversation, I just sat there not understanding most of what was going on." She leaned over and kissed the doctor. "I've been waiting to do that all day."

Maura moaned in appreciation, "Why did you stop so soon?" She reached out and grabbed Jane around her, pulled her back in, and kissed her again. It started slowly and gained steam. Suddenly, Maura pulled back. "It's going to be more difficult to hide how I feel about you in public. I was so proud of you today in our CoP meeting. I just wanted to come around the table and pull you into a hug." Jane smiled appreciatively. "I also was not impressed with...Mel...was it?"

"Maur, you have to understand a few things. First of all, I can't ever get married. I also have dated a lot of women in the Capital. You can't get jealous of all of them."

"I wasn't jealous of Mel. I was offended that she thought it was appropriate to walk up to you in a crowded place and kiss you like that without you giving her permission. That was completely disrespectful. You are a highly decorated officer of Cordova. She was taking too many liberties."

"You are a bit peculiar. I mean that as a compliment."

"Jane, we've been dating, in secret, for two days. I can't control who you were with before or if they still have feelings for you. I may have been a bit jealous yesterday, since I had just been with you for the first time. I am a logical person and I can understand that much. I also, for some strange reason trust you completely." Jane leaned forward and kissed her.

"It's late, we've had a long day. I think we should go to bed." She stood and attempted to help Maura stand as well.

"After a day like this, I can't just go to sleep. I really need to relax and unwind."

Jane smirked, "I didn't say we would be sleeping...yet." Maura turned her head slightly and her smile grew. She stood and followed the tall woman into the bedroom.

The routine was almost the same everyday. They woke up and spent breakfast together. Then, Maura would go to work and Jane followed. At the end of the day, they would sit and talk about their lives and each other. They made love and fell asleep in each other's arms nearly every night. There were no Code of Promise meetings over the next couple of weeks.

Jane was enjoying the opportunity to watch Maura at work. She started to learn more about the woman and was falling more in love with her by the minute. Jane was always there when Maura was having a difficult time with various aspects of her work. Sometimes, she even asked for her opinion. Things were moving along smoothly between the two of them.

One evening, while sitting at Maura's table eating dinner, Jane became curious. "Maur, when are we going to get information back about those taken in the clans? It's been weeks. This is ridiculous." The doctor was taken aback.

"Dean is doing his best to create missions to go into the clans and find out information. When he is finished putting together his report, we will meet to go over it." That was not a good enough answer for Jane.

"I don't mean any disrespect, but I think that leaving these matters to linger until a report is completely foolish. Dean should be sharing information with you immediately as he receives it. The report he writes will be biased on what he thinks the information means. He should present facts as he receives them."

Maura considered her for a moment. She was incredibly intelligent and had been trained by the best the Cordovan military had to offer. The doctor was brought up in a different way where politics did not have immediate deadlines to consider. She had always followed up with her team as it was absolutely necessary. She trusted them to give her information so that she could make informed decisions for her command. They were moving slowly and it was difficult to do more than to gather information and save those individuals that they could.

"Look, I will do whatever I can. I am donating blood every week. I think there is a lot more I could do." Maura smiled warmly at her. Jane spent most of her time thinking about small pieces of information that she had and how it made sense in the grand scheme of things. She knew that there were things that had happened in her life that she had not thought that much about before she knew the truth. Now, things were coming back to her. Things were coming back to her and she saw them in a different way.

"Alright, I will call Dean to join us for breakfast."

"I think Korsak should be present. I've seen him work for years. The man has a brain unlike most. I've learned a lot from him working with him." Maura nodded. She stood from the table and waved her hand over a desk. After a few moments a hologram of Korsak's head appeared.

"Doc, nice to see you! How are things going?" he said cheerfully.

"Things are going quite well, thank you. I wanted to invite you to join Jane and I for breakfast in the morning. Here at my house."

"I'll be there early. Is Janie there?" Jane walked over and stood next to Maura.

"Hey, Korsak! How's that new puppy?"

Vince laughed. "Oh, she's doing fine Janie. Just fine. Maybe I'll bring her with me. If that's alright with you, Doc." Maura nodded when she saw how excited Jane seemed to be.

"We'll see you tomorrow." They said their goodbyes and Maura swiped her hand as the light went out. Jane walked back over to the couch and sat down as Maura made a similar call to Gabriel Dean. Soon, she came over and sat next to Jane. "I want you to know that I want to make sure that we work together. I value your input and I like how you think. I've been paying attention to you."

Jane raked her eyes down Maura's body slowly, deliberately. Her voice rasped, "I've been paying attention to you too." She stopped talking when soft lips pressed against her. Maura just wanted her to stop talking. She kissed, opened her mouth slightly, and leaned back. Jane followed immediately. Leaning in, she grabbed around the back of the other woman. Jane leaned down slightly as her hands slid down the outside of Maura's hips the across her hamstrings until she grabbed a hold of Maura's ass. This caused Maura to gasp and pull away from the kiss. Jane smirked at the stunned look on her face. Maura nodded her head slightly as a smile took over. Suddenly, she pulled the back of Jane's neck as lips connected again. Maura felt Jane's abdomen through her uniform top and she felt a wetness gush between her legs. She moved her hands to Jane's shoulders and pushed hard.

Before she could even say anything, she saw Maura's face change as she leaned forcefully over her. Maura grabbed Jane's waist and pushed her further into the couch. Maura leaned back and unbuttoned the Captain's pants and started to yank them off. She pulled them off long, lean legs and discarded the clothing over her shoulder. She unzipped her own uniform and threw it on the floor. She straddled Jane who was watching her, from her position on the couch.

Once she was in Jane's lap, she softened. She lifted her hands to a strong jaw and cupped her gently. She leaned forward for a soft kiss. "Jane, take me." The Captain wasted no time in wrapping her right arm around Maura's waist to anchor her while her stronger, left hand dove between her legs. She moved the thin lacy panties over and pulled a finger between her wet, glistening folds. Both women moaned loudly.

She slid in two fingers and felt Maura's walls tightened against her. Her palm rubbed up against her clit and her hips bucked upwards to increase pressure. Maura responded with her own hips and rode Jane's fingers. Jane looked up at Maura, her eyes were closed, head back slightly, and her bottom lip was between her teeth. She was so beautiful. She pulled against her waist harder. Maura held onto Jane's strong shoulders, as her hips continued grinding against her. Jane looked at the chest in her face and opened her mouth and took a nipple into her mouth and sucked hard.

This made Maura gasp and out also came a moan. Jane ran her tongue across the now hard nub. Maura started grinding faster and Jane matched her movements with her own hips. She released Maura's breast with a pop. Jane leaned her head over and latched her mouth onto the side of Maura's breast and began to suck with intensity. Maura cried out. She wrapped an arm around Jane's head and pulled her as close as she could. "Fuck, Jane!" She said as her hips moved even faster and she felt herself getting ready to ride over that edge.

Suddenly, Jane used her right arm that was still holding Maura tight against her and flipped them sideways and landed on top of the woman with her fingers still inside. Jane straddled one of Maura's thighs and began to rub herself as she thrusted her hips harder into Maura, who started to moan loudly with quick gasps in between as Jane pressed against her.

Maura responded as her body fell over the edge and she stiffened. Jane continued her motion, but repositioned her wrist slightly so that she could angle herself over Maura's thigh as she rode out her orgasm as well. Both women were breathing heavily. Jane slowed her movements and pulled out of the other woman. The absence caused Maura to murmur a sad groan. Jane pushed herself above Maura's lips and kissed her softly. "Maybe it's time for us to head to bed." Jane smiled.

"Yeah, let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

Charles Hoyt sat in his office. Above his desk were flashes of footages of different people. His eyes twitched from scene to scene, his irritation was beginning to drip out through his angry fingers. He swiped fingers around as a maestro conducting a symphony of old. Suddenly, something interesting finally showed up. His fingers halted their movement. He grabbed one screen and enlarged it. Watching as Dr. Maura Isles seemed to be storming out of a building. She paused in the street and looked back to the door. He leaned forward and zoomed in further. She smiled as someone followed her.

Laughter erupted from him as he saw Jane Rizzoli meet her in the street. Dr. Isles seemed to say something as the brunette grabbed her and pulled her underneath a tree canopy. He zoomed in again and replayed what the good doctor said. Studying it for a few moments, he attempted to read her lips. "How was that?" he determined. She seemed a bounce bit as she spoke. He replayed it a few more times. He spoke.

"Find me footage on Dr. Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli." He spent the rest of the afternoon watching their interactions all over the Capital. He noticed a pattern. That was his specialty. Noticing when two people were in love. It was how he found his pets. He watched with increasing interest. The only problem was that Dr. Isles was the President's daughter. If she went missing, there would be a large scaled search. He was intrigued by the challenge. It had been a while since he had people to play with. The last couple was not as fun as they usually are. No one even noticed their absence.

To be honest, the reason his plans had taken so long to come to fruition was because of his hobby. Hoyt would put weeks of planning into his acquisitions and a few more weeks of torture followed before he would finally turn his attention back to his original plan. Charles Hoyt was placed into the working class as an infant. While in school he excelled in political sciences and impressed the previous leader of the Zeta clan. So much so that when it was time for him to retire he appointed Charles Hoyt to the position. President Isles was also impressed by his ideas that she approved the promotion. He had been on the cabinet ever since.

His official role was to run the infant testing and examinations of all clans. He had devised the organization system. It was not the position that he wanted. For a while he was quite angry with President Isles over the decision. Over time he realized that he could use it to his advantage. He could find talent as he needed it. He used the examinations for his own personal gain. It was how he found Frank Rizzoli and the others. After years of not moving forward, he realized that he had biological data on every person in Cordova. He had his most brilliant bioengineers study new DNA from infants. The hypothesis was that there were mutations in the DNA sequencing that would give him characteristics to control people.

The only problem he had come across was that the one person who had the specific mutation that he wanted was not identified until puberty. He had access to infant DNA that had not allowed the mutation to mature. The new idea was to identify a property that could potentially mutate. He had his staff starting to look for the property in all new infants that were in the clans. However, he was backlogged on being able to look through all of the DNA sequencing of everyone that was currently alive in Cordova.

He had been attempting to receive more funding and staffing for this task, but had been denied by President Isles on more than one occasion. It seemed he had lost favor with her, which only further angered him and moved him forward towards his ultimate goal. He heard a sound and a woman appeared next to this screens.

"Cabinet Member Hoyt, you have a new detail today. Second Lieutenant Frost is here for his morning debrief." He wasn't expecting the sudden change of service. Where was Rizzoli? His rotation had not seen her for a few months. He expected her.

"What happened to Lieutenant Rizzoli?" he asked.

"Sir, she was promoted to Captain. She has been reassigned. Second Lieutenant Frost has assumed her post." He moved uneasily in his chair. Looking at the light, he forced a smile.

"Excellent! I look forward to meeting him." He swiped his hand across the desk as all of the various screens and lights disappeared. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. The door swooshed open and there stood a man. "Second Lieutenant Frost! I assume you are the one and only son of Admiral Frost."

"Yes, Sir, I am. Please call me Barry. I look forward to working with you, Sir." Frost stood tall and looked the man in the eyes. Hoyt relaxed a bit.

"Well, I know that if you are half the man your father is, I will be in great hands. Now, I have only one meeting this afternoon. Other than that I have work in the office to do." _I've got more footage to go through_. After a moment he saw the man before him. His face slightly twitched. He paused as he thought. _Why did his face twitch just now? _Frost soon tightened his face to look as neutral as possible. _Did he just hear what I thought? _

"Sir, unless there is anything else?" Hoyt forced his mind to go blank.

"No, that is all for now." Frost smiled tightly and then he walked out of the door. Hoyt stood there and thought how interesting that exchange was. He would need further testing.

* * *

Maura grabbed the newly poured cups of coffee. And brought one to Jane and to Korsak in her living room. "Thanks, Doc." A small dog ran over and jumped up onto Maura's leg.

"Oh! Hi!" She bent down and patted the top of her head. "She's a sweet little thing. Where did you find this one?" Domesticated animals were a bit more rare. The Garnier virus did not just affect humans, but a lot of pets were also infected. Many people believed that it was the animals that carried the initial virus. Since, their bodies were smaller, a lot of them died before their owners did. One of Korsak's side hobbies was collecting dogs to domesticate. He then would find a home for them. It was a plus side to his many travels to strange lands. He found all sorts of breeds thought to be extinct.

"Oh! I found her and her litter near Former England. She was so sweet. After a few months, I finally found people willing to take her brothers and sisters. She's the last one! You wouldn't want her would ya, Janie?"

"Me? No, I just moved here. I don't think I should take up a dog." Jane looked at the small beast. She was sort of adorable. Korsak just shrugged.

"So, what is it that you wanted to discuss?" He asked when Maura came and sat on the couch next to Jane.

"Oh, we're still waiting on Gabriel. He should be here in a few minutes." Korsak nodded and the little pup came trotting over and jumped up into Jane's lap. "Oh, Jane, I think she likes you!" Maura said excitedly. Jane just looked at the creature. A smile crept on her lips and she put her hand over the dog's head. Laying down in her lap, the animal relaxed. "You could keep her here if you wanted. No pressure. But I would allow it." There was an alert and the group turned to the door as Gabriel Dean walked into the room.

"Good morning. I still don't have my final report finished and I do not see why we are meeting here." He said rather irritated as he took the empty seat.

"Gabriel, we need to know what information you have so far." Maura said matter-of-factly.

"There have been instances in at least three clans where people have purportedly disappeared in the middle of the night and have never returned. There are not many cases to suspect someone was involved at this time. We are still collecting data. There were only two people that vanished from the Beta clan at the time your father disappeared. A young girl by the name of Lydia Sparks. The rumor that we have been able to get out of a few people was that Lydia and your father were meeting secretly for sometime before they took off together. I think what we are seeing here is that he and this girl ran away to the Forbidden lands. They probably found an archaic dwelling and have been living together ever since."

Jane sat there restraining her anger. "That is an interesting theory, Sir. What circumstances did this girl disappear?"

"Well, it was a few weeks after your father left. No one saw anything as far as we can tell. She went to sleep and when her family woke up, she was gone. I think your dear ol' Dad, went and prepared a place for them and she followed him later so no one would suspect. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Some people illegally leave their clan. It's not a good life out there in the middle of no where, but to each his own."

"And the fact that you have a witness who saw my father being taken away by two Cordovian Soldiers doesn't mean anything to you?" Jane snapped back. This was incredible. She took a deep breath and looked at Korsak. His face was slightly scrunched indicating he was deep in thought."

"Captain Rizzoli, with all due respect, you were a young girl who had her father leave suddenly, whatever dream that you had was just that."

Korsak held out his hand, interrupting Jane as she was ready to fire back. "Dean, what was Lydia Sparks class and title?" Dean looked at him confused.

"I don't see why that matters. She was a worker class and did well in school. She had just taken her exam for placement."

Korsak threw his hands out. "Just answer the question."

"Working class. She never knew what she tested. She disappeared before notification. She was going to go into Nanotechnology."

Maura perked up, "That is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. That's very prestigious and rare to receive such a result. Usually, they end up in a more general science and then they develop further in their later training." Jane looked at her.

"You don't think that someone who was just given such a specific title disappearing is not in the least bit odd?" Jane said incredulously.

"Well, she didn't have training in the field so what would that have mattered if someone was, as you think, were to be collecting people for some evil scheme." It wasn't just his condescending tone that made Jane want to jump across the room and drive her fist into his face. It was the fact that he was completely dismissing her and making assumptions to what she was thinking.

"Come on! This stuff has been happening for twenty years! Who else was taken from the other clans? Anyone who could have trained her?" She yelled. Dean's eyes grew and his smile faded.

"There were a few other scientists who disappeared from the Alpha clan and the Delta clan. Someone in molecular biology and some physicist guy. But there was also a car mechanic. So it doesn't make any sense."

Maura perked up again. "Actually, that makes perfect sense. There is definitely a pattern. With the current state of our technological advances, it is quite possible that someone could have known exactly what they wanted to do in regards to the virus. In fact, I am most certain someone is quite a genius. Before the Garnier virus, it was proposed that nanotechnological advancement, although this was initially implemented by biomimetic means, could be based on mechanical engineering principles, just like a manufactured technology based on a mechanical functionality of various components that would enable programmable, positional assembly to atomic specification."

Jane look at Korsak just to make sure she wasn't the only one who thought she was talking in an unknown language. "Bio-what's it? Maybe dumb it down for me?"

Maura rolled her eyes, "Biomimicry is the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. Such as studying how birds or bats fly, gave the idea for aircrafts." She held out her arms as if they were wings. "The virus that we've been studying has machine like qualities that seem to be controlling it's victims. It's been twenty years since these people disappeared. That's plenty of time to develop something like this. I think Jane has a point here, Dean." Gabriel noticed the change in how Maura said his name. He shifted again and looked at Korsak.

"I think what is happening is exactly that." Jane said slowly. "I think that someone has been planning this for a long time and taking someone here or there wouldn't send out an alarm. Clearly, it didn't. It sounds like this genius hand picked those who would be able to create this robot virus to make walking dead fighters." She leaned forward and the little dog stirred slightly. She looked down and put her hand over her head. It settled back down.

"Vince, I seem to need your back up here." Dean finally said.

Korsak looked at Jane and Maura. Then, shook his head slightly while addressing Dean, "I've gotta say, that makes more sense than Frank Rizzoli running off with some girl. No one would leave Angela Rizzoli willingly." Jane looked at him completely shocked. How did Korsak know her mother and why had he never mentioned it to her before?

"Are you serious?" Dean said incredulously. He looked at Jane. He considered her for a moment. She was one of the finest officers he had ever met. She wasn't one to tell outrageous tales. He took a deep breath. "Fine. I will get the information that I have to you this afternoon. But I want it to be known that I think this is the wrong road to go down, Commander." He had never dissented from Maura's logic before. He looked at her and hoped that she would hear his council.

"Noted." She said icily. The wrapped up the discussion and Dean made his exit. Korsak stayed in his chair and stared at the two women on the couch. When it was his protocol to take his leave he sat silently. "Vince? Did you have something else to add?" She looked a little confused at Jane. Jane gave her a small shoulder shrug.

"Maura, is there something you should tell me here?" She looked back to Jane who was now looking at the man and straightened in her chair. Looking back to Korsak who was watching Jane. Maura felt a rush to her head. "I get the feeling that there is something that you are holding back in this discussion. You and Janie here know something that I don't." Jane sat impossibly straighter and she started to feel very exposed. The little puppy noticed the change in her and jumped down and ran across the floor and stood protectively at Korsak's feet. Maura knew that she couldn't lie and was relieved when Jane spoke.

"Sir, I don't know what you think we would keep from you, but I assure you that is not the case." She looked at him hard for a moment as he continued to study her. "If you suspect that we are keeping something from you, what could that possibly be?"

Finally, Korsak looked over at Maura who was sitting there looking guilty. "Maura. I've known the both of you over the course of many years. What is your secret?" Maura felt hives starting to form on her chest and an intense itching sensation started crawling up her neck. She searched her mind trying to come up with something to say. Jane looked over and noticed a redness on her neck.

"Sir, please. With all due respect, back off." This caused his face to crack. He smiled broadly and started to laugh.

"I knew it!" He said excitedly. "You two." He laughed some more. "Maura Isles, I didn't mean to upset you, but the way you two were so in sync with one another during that meeting. I gotta tell ya, it was great to watch. You did this didn't you?"

The secret was out again. "Vince, Jane and I...we...you can't tell anyone."

"Tell anyone? I think this is great! You've had Jane as your spy working with everyone in the cabinet on "protective detail", when she was really collecting information on all cabinet members! That is brilliant! Even I don't know much about anyone else in there, just their ridiculous views during the rare meeting."

"Wait, what?" Maura was, again, confused. Jane just looked at him.

"Did you decide to pretend to ice him out since he was holding back on the information he had collected?" He asked.

Jane realized that their secret was not out. Vince assumed that the two women have been working together much longer than they had been. She smiled and looked reassuringly at Maura. "Well, it's not exactly the plan that we had, but it worked out nonetheless."

"You played him like a fiddle. He'll think twice before trying to keep stuff from you two again. All information could be useful. He had no right to not divulge just because he thought it wasn't pertinent. I think this is the biggest break we've had. Someone out there collected the best of the best. I hope we can start looking for the people that we didn't know were missing and crack this problem wide open. You might even get to see your Pop again, Jane."

"It's not going to be easy. There is a lot of places that people could be hidden." Jane said.

"If there are any two people in this world that will figure out where to start, I am sure it would be the two of you." He stood and Jane followed. He held out his hand and she took it. "Jane, I've always known you were destined for great things. I'm glad you've been on board with this. Even pretending you didn't know anything about how we worked. Man, you two are so smart." She smiled tightly and he and the puppy left.

Maura was still sitting on the couch attempting to calm her breathing. Jane sat next to her and pulled her in for a kiss. That seemed to snap her out of it and by the time Jane pulled back, Maura smiled. "Sorry, I really thought he saw something that he shouldn't have. I was trying to figure out if I looked at you somehow or that I did something to give it away." Jane smiled.

"I didn't think that we had, but you can't react like that if we are ever asked something like that again. That will definitely give something away. Always assume people have no idea until they ask you directly. He just thinks I've been in on this longer than I have been. That is the best thing we could have hoped for."

"Now that we're alone, I think we should..." she grabbed Jane's face and kissed her. Jane smiled into the kiss and liked where Maura was heading.


	9. Chapter 9

Barry Frost was tired after sitting outside of Cabinet member Hoyt's office all day. He walked across the Capital park on his way home. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind as he walked. It was this technique that helped quiet the voices of people as he walked past them. He didn't really remember when he started hearing people's thoughts. He did realize that he could hear people's thoughts when he heard what his mom was thinking about her friend. That's when he realized that his father being away all the time was much more convenient for her than she let on.

This phenomenon became an issue during school. An entire classroom of children thinking about different things. It wasn't until he met Jane Rizzoli that he was able to not hear a thing. He would follow her around trying to hear what she was thinking and there was nothing. It was so relaxing and he was relieved that he finally had a friend to be around. Not that hearing the thoughts of others didn't have it's perks. If he didn't know an answer on a test, he could close his eyes and listen for the class genius to think of each answer. He soon realized that if his exams were exactly the same it would be suspicious. He saved it for questions that he really struggled with, as he advanced in school he realized he didn't really need to hear someone else's answers.

It was also how he found out that his father and mother's relationship wasn't what people thought it to be. His mother was in love with another woman in their clan. His father was her best friend. They married and had him and raised him together. Robin, his mother's lover, was quite close to the admiral also. His father had a lover of his own. It was a situation that made sense for them all. Frost didn't mind much. They were all happy.

When he got halfway across the capitol lawn, he saw Jane. She was walking with Maura Isles. He jogged over to catch them. "Rizzoli!" She turned at the sound of her name. "This where you been hiding? I haven't seen you around in forever!"

Jane smiled at her old friend, "Frost! I have a new important assignment." She motioned towards Maura, who had stopped walking and turned her attention to the Second Lieutenant. He looked at the Doctor and bowed his head slightly.

"Doctor Isles," he acknowledged. "I wondered what your new assignment was. No one has said anything to anyone about where you went. Just that you are now Captain Rizzoli and have a new assignment."

_If you can call sleeping with me an assignment. _Maura thought. Frost's eyebrows raised as he looked at her. Maura saw his reaction and realized that he could read her mind. _Oh God. Lieutenant, please forget what you just heard me say. It's imperative to my and Jane's survival. _He seemed to get the hint and nodded, silently, to her.

Jane watched the exchange. She looked up and around. "Frost, would you like to join us for dinner tonight? We were just heading back to Dr. Isles'." Maura gave her a sharp look. "Let's go." She continued on her previous path and Maura and Frost followed her. Once they were all safely inside, Maura demanded an explanation.

Jane spun around to answer. She stuck her finger out and pointed it at Frost. "First of all, you really can read people's mind can't you?" He gave a weak nod. She didn't wait to continue, "Secondly, we can not have exchanges out there like that. They are watching and you two looking at each other silently and you nodding your head looks weird."

"How did you...?" Frost started as he held up his hands in defense.

"Look, I just know, ok? And you..." she turned a finger on Maura. "Where you two having a secret conversation back there? What did you say?"

Maura opened her mouth to explain. Frost cut her off, "She said something about you two sleeping together and then realized I heard her. She asked me not to say anything." He looked at Maura, "Jane's my best friend. I have your back. I won't tell a soul."

"Wait, you didn't hear me thinking the same thing?" Jane looked a little confused. She hadn't remembered Frost's ability and had thought something similar before realizing it and watching the two of them have their interaction. She hadn't really thought about much that she didn't just say out loud to Frost. He knew her biggest secrets because she shared them with him. But she always wondered what sort of things he had heard rolling around in that head of hers.

Frost shook his head. "I've never been able to hear you." Maura thought that was an interesting turn of events.

"You can't hear Captain Rizzoli's thoughts?"

"No, she's the only person I've ever met that I couldn't hear anything out of her. That's why I wanted to be her friend. She has given me the most silence I've ever known."

Jane was a little confused, "Can you hear what Maura is thinking right now?"

Frost laughed, "Yeah, she's trying to figure out what it is about your brain chemistry that would block something like my ability. She's got a lot of big words that she's throwing around in there. Does she always talk like that?"

Jane smirked, "no, not always." Maura's hand came out of no where and smacked her in the shoulder. "Oww!" Frost laughed.

He stopped and seemed to get serious, "Look, are you happy Rizzoli?"

"Completely."

"And Doctor Isles?"

"I've never been happier."

"Good, now that's it. We are over it. Now, I was put on Council Member Hoyt's detail today. Did he always give you the creeps?"

"Hoyt? Eh, a little bit. He's definitely weird."

"Alright, I was just put on his detail. He made me sit outside his office all day."

"That's weird. He usually had me sit next to him all day."

Maura shifted, "I'm sorry Lieutenant. Would you like something to drink? Dinner should be served soon." He nodded and she disappeared for a few minutes. He and Jane went into the sitting room and sat down.

"So, do you know about what I've been doing with Korsak?" Frost said quietly.

"Yeah, Maura filled me in."

"How does she know?" Jane looked over at Maura as she came into the room with a tray. She handed out glasses and sat next to Jane.

"I am your Commander, Lieutenant." Immediately, Frost stood up at attention. "At ease, you are here as my guest, not my soldier." Slowly, he sat back down.

"Code of Promise." He simply said.

"Wait," Jane said, "how do you not know who your commander is? We know of our generals."

"That's not how this works, Jane." Maura said. "We decided early on that anyone that we recruited would only know as far up as my senior officers. It's better for a variety of reasons. One of them is because of my situation with my husband. If a soldier was captured and tortured, my name wouldn't slip out. That information would not be what we want to get out. Lieutenant Frost is someone that I trust because you trust him." Maura sat next to Jane.

"Ok, then how did you not read her mind?" Frost rolled his eyes.

"Rizzoli, it doesn't work like that."

It was now Jane's turn to roll her eyes. "How does it work?"

"You know what it's like in your head when you are thinking about something and you can hear your own voice? There is no sound, but words, pictures, things live in your brain. They come and go without a start or a finish. Thoughts can run together. It's electrical impulses transmitting information. For me, I have my own thoughts. When I am in close proximity to people, I can see and hear their thoughts in my head as if I thought it myself. When I was younger, I didn't understand why I would think in my mother's voice. Thoughts that I didn't understand. Thoughts, I couldn't have known about."

"As I got older, I would hear multiple people and it started to scare me a bit when I realized that I was standing next to someone and was hearing and seeing their thoughts. I was seeing memories of others. It's not fun to be in a crowded room. Well, anymore I can mute it, and I generally do."

Maura was sitting there completely captivated. Jane listened but wasn't really interested in the actual workings of this thing. The doctor leaned forward, "so, you are extra sensitive to the electrical impulses in our brains. What about other electrical impulses that our brains process such as involuntary bodily functions? What about other impulses such as smell, do you ever smell what someone else smells?"

"Actually, I have done a lot of neurological studies and there are apparently certain receptors that read specific electrical signals. Apparently, whatever deciphers the cognizant thinking are the only ones that are extra sensitive."

Maura smiled and bounced in her seat next to Jane. "That's right." She looked at a bored Jane. "Our brains have different receptors that read electrical impulses. It's like an orchestra. The flutes only play or read the flute music. While the trumpets only read and interpret the trumpet music. All together, they read the same song and contribute only when required."

"Ok, that's great. Do we really need to discuss this? No one cares." Frost nodded in agreement.

"That's not true! It would be interesting to find out why those sensors are unable to read your impulses." Jane realized that this was something that honestly excited the other woman. When she took a few moments to stop being annoyed, it was actually adorable. She smiled warmly and put her hand on Maura's knee.

"Honey, we can talk about this if you really want. I just don't have anything to add. I don't know much about the science behind our brains. Also, I'm hungry." As if she had timed it perfectly, Constance's face appeared in the corner. Dinner was ready to be served. Maura agreed to pause the discussion as they went to the table to eat. Frost was surprised that there was a plate for him. "She made a call." Jane said, as Maura leaned over and kissed her cheek.

* * *

Frankie Rizzoli had been in the jungle for weeks. He shifted on his small cot. Living in this heat was beyond torture. It was also torture to be working under deep cover. There were whispers among the men that they would be receiving a new weapon soon. Something that would be able to be used to quickly take over an entire clan with the virus. Most of the men that he worked with were very young. They seemed to barely be out of the academy. They were fighting for their country. Frankie knew that they were all naïve.

They weren't working for Cordova the way that he was. He knew that this was a rebel group who did not have Cordova's best interests at heart. They were attacking peaceful people for no reason that he could see. He had worked up far enough to have an idea. His theory was that someone wanted to eliminate foreign clans because they refused to accept the social and political laws of Cordova. Someone wanted to convert them to build up their nation to a better stronger nation. He didn't agree with that philosophy. That's why he joined Code of Promise.

He laid there as a drop of sweat rolled down his temple. He thought about when he found out about the recruitment process. He was still in the academy and had just been in class when he was laughing about a debate that he had. The people that he was walking out with were slapping him on the back and congratulating him for winning the debate. There was someone standing beneath a large canopy tree. At the time, he didn't really pay them much attention. His group had gone back to the barracks, he hadn't noticed the person had followed them. As the rest of the students started to head to lunch, someone had called out his name. He introduced himself as Cabinet Member Vince Korsak. He told him that he had been watching him and knew that he was a good soldier and a good man. He briefly explained a dire situation that required a special group of soldiers.

After a few brief questions, Frankie had told Korsak that he would do whatever it took to protect his Country. Understanding that this was a top secret organization, he memorized a number sequence and was told to input the sequence into a keypad two weeks later.

The protocol for how to get to the keypad was extremely specific on how and where to walk. When to take a break, where to stop at a store and purchase a small item. When he finally got to the rear of a building, there was a gate that he had to go through. On the other side of the gate was a grove of trees. Under the canopy of the leaves and darkness, there was an out of place stone. He lifted the stone and beneath was a small keypad. He pressed in the sequence and the largest tree in the grove opened into a door. Once he was inside, the trunk enveloped him whole. A long stairway, with barely any light wove down into the earth and Frankie found himself at the bottom of a very dark and wet place. He felt along the wall of earth and stone until his hand felt metal.

He pushed against it slightly and the only sound was a swoosh as the metal door opened. A bright room forced his eyes to squint as he readjusted to the change in light. Another soldier was sitting at a reception desk. She stood up and greeted him. She took him through a system of complex corridors. At the end of the last hall, was a large opaque door. She opened it and had him sit at a table.

After waiting for what seemed to be over an hour a man came in and hooked him up to a machine. He went through numerous hours of various testing and what he had felt was intense interrogation. At the end of it Korsak met with him and told him that he passed with flying colors.

Weeks went by and he heard nothing from anyone. One night he laid down on his pillow and something was inside the cover. He pulled it out and read the note. Detailed instructions on where and when to meet. He began his training after that. It was surprising how it dovetailed into his training at the academy. Soon enough he had met other recruits. He often wondered why when he saw his fellow cadets why some were recruited and others weren't. He couldn't quite understand what the testing meant. What were the qualities that they were looking for? What was it that made him qualify? He was meant for police work, this was anything but.

Eventually, he stopped asking those questions. His training made him stronger and sharper. Once he had proven himself, a few of the cadets were promoted and with that promotion came a few hard truths. Cordova was vulnerable. There was a group of people working for an unknown source that were trying to destroy their way of life. This dark group of soldiers and others were not easy to find. When Frankie had received his orders for deep cover, he was told that it would be for years.

He would work as a military police until he found a way in. Most of the soldiers, he found were the young men and women that patrolled the streets. These people were mostly disappointed by their destiny and wanted to be apart of Cordova's great military force. This was what they thought was their opportunity. Sure enough, as he acted as though he was struggling with his life career, someone had approached him.

This seemed to be just as secret as his first experience had been. The only difference was the feeling he had when he walked through the doors and met with Captain John Stark. The man reeked of evil, he snarled as he spoke and wasn't as kind and persuasive as Korsak had been. Stark had introduced himself as a member of the Under Army. Frankie knew that he had been picked up by the right people. He knew that this was his destiny, to help bring down this evil group of terrorists.

They had bought his lines. They began to trust him, while he checked in with his Code of Promise handler once a month. After two years of working the streets as a patrol officer, UA had contacted him and worked it out that he would be released from his patrol duty. He was told of a new weapon that was ready for testing. They wanted him to travel out of Cordova and head up the capture group. That's why he was laying on a cot in the middle of a jungle a year later.

Once a group infected people with the virus, his group came in as cleanup to gather them and to run tests on how effective the virus was. The purpose for the testing was to find out the amount of control was over the subjects. Most of the UA involved in this was not privy to the actual intent of the virus. Most people thought they were saving the world. Frankie had gotten close to John Stark and moved up in rank quickly. He knew that the real goal was to infect people and control them so that someone, who still eluded him, could take over control of Cordova and get rid of President Isles and her entire form of government.

This was the newest information he had received in the last few months. The problem was he was in too deep now and hadn't been able to contact his handler in nearly a year. Luckily, for him, he did have two other Code of Promise members with him. They had been working to administer the antidote and return people to a transfer point. He never brought people himself. Stark visited often.

He heard a noise outside of his tent. He sat up for a moment as something was grabbing at the door flap. His hand went to his weapon as it slowly opened. "Rizzoli?" It was Stark. Frankie put his weapon down.

"It's the middle of the night! What the hell are you doing?"

"I brought a new weapon for testing. I've got orders that your group is supposed to start testing it immediately. They are all locked and loaded. You just have to go into the clan and point and shoot everyone. The entire clan. Understood?" Frankie understood and was terrified. Usually, when going out he knew that medical teams would be able to take the collected victims and treat them. However, no one back home would be prepared for helping an entire clan at once.

"When do we move out?"

Stark almost smiled, "Now, call your troops. I'm heading back to make other preparations."

Frankie stood up at attention, "Yes, Sir." He went out of his tent to wake up his soldiers. Stark followed him and watched his command. He also watched the enthusiasm of the crowd. He grabbed the door to the truck and opened it. He grabbed out a weapon. He slung on a backpack device as he grabbed a large barrelled gun.

"Listen up." He held the weapon proudly. "Each of you will have one of these, we are going into this clan and infecting them with the serum to bring them all to Cordova so that they can live our way of life. They have been defying us for far too long. If they won't even try to enjoy our way of life, then we have to keep Cordova safe from their threat." There were hollers from the crowd of agreement. Everyone lined up and grabbed their own weapon.

Frankie looked at Cooper as she was fitted with her own weapon. She looked at him and watched his interaction with Stark. He was whispering something in his ear. Frankie nodded in agreement and Stark got into a truck and left. The troops stood at attention. He barked orders and called out Cooper and Crowe to stay back with him. Everyone started to move out. When the three were alone, they put the weapons on the ground.

"No, you've gotta take one with you. You both have to make it to a safe house and get word to Korsak as soon as possible. They have to use this to administer an antidote. An entire clan is being attacked here." Frankie put on a weapon and headed off with the rest of the group while Cooper and Crowe ran into the jungle towards the safe house.


	10. Chapter 10

A fist slammed into the table. "How the hell did this happen?" President Isles was livid. Her cabinet had been assembled.

"If I may, President Isles," his snarl grated on her nerves. He stood from his seat. She nodded. "I think we are missing the actual problem. Someone is attacking these foreign places and taking control of their clans. If this goes on any longer they will attack us. We need to pull our troops and send them over there to fight this problem." Hoyt sat back down. Korsak and Dean sat quietly. Jones, Slucky, and Cavanaugh all chimed in agreement.

"Hoyt's right." Byron Slucky stood and looked around the table. "We've got to face this head on. We have to get as many troops over there as soon as possible. We can't let these armies reach Cordovan soil."

President Isles closed her eyes. The first report of a controlled army patrolling through the jungle was only shocking to most of the cabinet. She called the emergency meeting as soon as she heard. Now, she was in a tough position. She had to decide whether to bring Cordova to war for the first time in it's history. She still needed to talk to Maura on the status of the antidote capacity that they had. She was hesitant to release the troops out of Cordova. At the moment, due to her haste in calling the cabinet meeting, she didn't have much choice other than to take action.

"Alright. Let's put together a coalition of troops to surround the clan and see if we can control and contain them. You all know what you have to do." Everyone stood at the table and walked out of her office. She grabbed something out of her drawer and headed out herself. She walked out and told her assistant that she would be back later that afternoon.

After covering her face as best she could, she walked across the Capitol until she arrived at Maura's house. She went inside and called out. Soon enough, Maura appeared in the foyer. "Mother, we don't have much more information than what you have. I do know that Agents Cooper and Crowe have just been picked up from a safe house and are being brought here to be debriefed. They should be here early tomorrow. They have the weapon."

"The cabinet is demanding that we send as many troops over there as possible to attempt to control this situation."

"That would be ridiculous." Maura said tersely. "The moment we empty our cities of soldiers is the moment who ever is behind this will show his face and make his move here."

"I know. I told them we would go along with it. I have a feeling that someone in the cabinet is who we are looking for."

"Why is that?" Maura asked.

"It's been a sinking suspicion of mine for a while. But the way they are a step ahead of us constantly means that they have to be privy to information that only the few of us know. It's not you or I. It has to be someone else."

"I agree with your mother," Jane said as she entered the room. The President didn't seem surprised that Jane was putting on a robe as she joined the conversation. "If it's anyone, I would bet money that it was Hoyt. I started wondering about him after Frost came by for dinner."

Maura looked at her. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't have any proof, just a guy feeling. The guy is creepy and it's weird that he had Frost sit outside his office. He never wanted me anywhere else but right next to him. I wasn't the only one. We used to joke about it, the group of us guards. He might have figured out that Frost could read his mind and doesn't want him to find out what his plan is."

"Are you sure Slucky and Jones aren't in on it? I don't trust Slucky as far as I could throw him. And well Casey seems a bit bored with his life." President Isles looked at Maura for her input.

"As much as I don't like Mr. Jones' taste for Jane. I don't see him betraying us." Jane looked over at her.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't care for him being as attracted to you as he is. It's rather annoying when speaking with him when you are standing there. He makes it so obvious it's just..."

"Maura, now is not the time for jealousy." Constance told her daughter sternly. Maura apologized and looked at Jane who was smiling and shaking her head.

Maura continued as she paced slightly around the room. "We have to look into Hoyt first. I agree with Jane. I also am not sending off all of our protection off to chase down an army that is being controlled from somewhere else. We also can't let anyone know that we have caught on and finally caught up with him."

President Isles threw her hands up in frustration. "How am I going to pretend to send troops out of the city? If it is Hoyt that we are battling with, he will know when and where they are headed. He has people already on the ground there. If we don't engage, they will alert him."

"I have an idea. You aren't going to like it." Jane looked at the other two women. "Believe me, I've travelled a lot with Korsak, I know how long it takes to get from here to there. But we need a distraction, you're going to have to call your husband." She turned and looked at Maura.

"No, Jane." She looked to her mother for support. "No, I'm not calling him."

"Maura, listen, You have no choice here. We need the help." Constance grabbed her hands and whispered that it would be alright. Maura closed her eyes as she dropped her head. She agreed.

* * *

Hoyt walked into his office feeling something that he needed to feel. Power. He wasn't quite capable of feeling emotions. There was never a sense of happy, sad, or anything of the sort. People talked about feeling things, but he never felt them. Everything he did in his life was to feel power. That was the only thing that he could relate to. When he claimed the cabinet position, he felt that power. But it faded as he settled into his new position.

With his first couple, he felt power again. As he forced the husband to sit and watch helplessly as he had his way with his wife. He felt in control. What was even more twisted, was the power he felt as he watched life drain from their eyes. That was his favorite. After as many as people as he had killed over the years, he still felt empty. Becoming the leader of the world was what he needed. His hobby would have to wait.

Or did it? He thought about Jane Rizzoli and her newest conquest, the President's daughter. There was something different about this one. He recognized it. True love. That was something that needed to be punished. If he couldn't feel that, why should anyone else? He decided that he would take his prize as soon as the country emptied itself of it's protection. He would have Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles on his table.

He opened the back wall and walked into the small room. He looked at the computer controls. He had his new army walking in circles around the villages, marching in step to intimidate any and all who were to attempt an attack. He smiled as he watched the trackers move around the screen. He heard a small bell. He quickly went back into his office and closed the wall. He sat at his desk and gave permission for the person standing outside of the door.

Susie Chang walked in nervously. She looked around the room; anywhere but directly at Hoyt. "Sir, I found it." He held himself very still and waited for her to continue. "I mean, she. I found her. I finally went back far enough to have found her."

"Who is she? When we can bring her in?"

"Sir, it won't be easy to just bring her in. She's high profile and it would be obvious if she was missing."

"How did we not find her sooner? I need her for the safety of all of Cordova. There has to be a way around who she is."

"Sir, the specific genetic code sequence that you were looking for is in Maura Isles. We never looked into the President or her daughter. I only happened to look because you had said this person would be the most intelligent person this world has ever known. I should have known it sooner, she is a direct descendant of Dr. Cordo..."

"Enough, Chang. I don't care about her history. What I care about is her brain. I need it." He thought to himself how much more fun he would have killing her while removing her brain. Perhaps, Rizzoli could watch. He almost smiled. Looking at Dr. Chang, he amended what he said, "Actually, I think this could prove beneficial. I could talk to Dr. Isles directly about this and see if she would be willing to donate some time, energy, and information."

"There's something else, sir."

"What is it?"

"There is DNA in the vial of whatever you left in my lab the other day." Hoyt had received a bottle of what he knew was taking his test subjects and turning them back into normal people. He hadn't thought to do some testing on it. Perhaps, this mistake was a good idea, he thought.

"You tested that...already? There is DNA present? This is coming from a human or animal?"

"I thought you wanted me to since you had left it on my desk. The DNA is from Captain Rizzoli, sir."

"You've done well Chang. I'll handle it from here." Susie smiled and walked out of the office. Hoyt not only found the brain that he had been looking for, he also found the cure for his virus. He would end both of their lives soon enough. No one could stop him. He walked back into the hidden room and closed the wall. He sat and watched the computer screens. He opened a drawer. He took out a scalpel. He looked at the blade in the light of the room, there was still a smear of blood on it from his last victims. He ran his thumb over it and smiled. Some of it flaked away and sat on the edge of his thumb. He looked at it for a while before he put the scalpel back and rolled the flakes between his fingers. He smiled as he felt power come from his fingertips.

Blood held special meaning for him. Blood was the most power fluid, it carried many things with it as it carried with it life. Traveling through arteries and veins it carried nutrients, oxygen, hormones, and other necessary elements. Without it, people would not exist. Being able to extract it and touch it was tangible power that he could literally feel with his fingertips. Once out of the body, it's mark is left wherever it touched, regardless of how much you cleaned an area. That was his goal, that his mark would be left where ever he chose to step in life. No matter how much people tried to remove his mark on history, he knew it would always linger.

Today, could not have been more successful. He finally found the chemistry that would control his computer. He would be able to program and use the brain fluid to power the computer for the rest of his life. He wouldn't have to sit and control the people of the world. Maura Isles will give her life to do that. He just had to wait until the opportunity presented itself. Which it would. He knew that it always did. He just had to be watching for it. Right now, he knew that he had to oversee the grand exodus of the Cordovan Army. He had to get in touch with Admiral Frost. He needed an exact number out of the way so that his Under Army could go into the Delta and Epsilon clans and create his army to take over Zeta, Beta, and Alpha as they marched toward the Capitol. Then, he would be able to take President Isles captive and claim himself the leader of the world. Finally, he could have his true reward. He hadn't felt this good in years.

* * *

"Yes, Ma'am. Of course. I understand that no matter what we are to hold on sending troops out of the country. Yes. Understood." Admiral Frost pressed the button on his desk and President Isles face disappeared. He found it odd that not two hours ago he was told to start calling in troops to immediately leave Cordova for a mission to control a break out of what he had surmised was some weird group of moving dead people. He had heard about what humans used to call "zombies". Which seemed to be an exact description of the situation.

He looked at his troop plan that he had been laying out when the President called him to retract her order. He swiped the plan away and asked to have his financial report brought up for editing. As soon as the report appeared, there was a sound at his door. "Yes, Martha?" He said into the room.

Martha's voice sounded back, "Sir, you have visitors, it is your son and Captain Rizzoli." He smiled at the thought of his son visiting him out of the blue and thought how nice it would be to see Jane again. He gave his approval. Soon his door opened and Jane and Barry entered. He had a slight flashback to when the boy was young and brought his best friend around to play in his office while he worked.

"Barold! Jane! It's so nice to see you both!" He walked around his desk and embraced the both of them. "As much as I would like that this is just a friendly visit, I have a feeling there is a more official capacity in the works." Barry nodded.

Jane pulled out a small device. She nodded towards the Admiral as he gave a small nod of approval. She pressed a button and set it on the desk. "Sir, we are here on official Code of Promise business." Jane started. "We know that President Isles just rescinded her command to send out troops. However, we need for you to still evacuate troops just out of the borders of their clans. There is a plan to evacuate the clans of troops for an attack to gain control. We need to plan how to evacuate troops under the guise of going to other colonies, but bring them into a key position to re-enter the clan if they are indeed meant to be attacked."

"I am sorry but there are two people that I answer to. President Isles herself and the Commander of the Code of Promise."

"Dad, I mean...sir. The commander sent us directly. She would be here if she could but she is setting into motion some back up."

"She? The commander is a she?" He asked and looked at Jane.

Jane looked at Frost, "Seriously? No one knows this? Sir, your commander is Maura Isles." The admiral smiled and leaned against his desk. He thought about it for a moment and then started to laugh.

"She is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Well, Captain, what do you propose?"

"Sir, I believe that if we send out notifications to the troops in every clan that we are going to war with a foreign colony, the intent that we are leaving Cordovan borders. We have the opportunity to have them meet in a safe location in the unknowns. At that time, we have a special team surveilling the local threat and when he makes his move, we'll know about it. We won't have troops on the other side of the globe, sir. We will have the advantage and will reclaim control within a few days."

"Besides not knowing where a safe location would be outside of the clans, no one ever goes there, I think that seems solid. Who do we suspect is behind this?"

"Cabinet member Hoyt."

"Oh. He called me earlier to confirm the number of troops leaving. He became very angry at the number of troops that were to remain."

"Sir," Barry injected, "I think that you should call him back and tell him that you looked at it and agree that the numbers need to be upped. We need him to feel completely comfortable."

"Alright, son. I will make the call. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, sir. When this is over, I think we should have dinner. It's been a long time."

"Very good, son. I would like that." Barry nodded awkwardly. Jane picked up the device from the desk and pressed the button. He and Jane left. He pulled back to his desk and looked at his previous troop plan. He doubled the number of troops on the document. He then sent a request for a few moments of Hoyt's time. Nearly thirty minutes later, Hoyt's twisted face appeared in front of the Admiral.

"Admiral Frost, I wanted to apologize for my earlier outburst. I just want to make sure that Cordova is as safe as it can possibly be..."

"Excuse me, sir. I contacted you because I was going over the plan and realized my error. You were right, I needed to actually double the troops to send. I underestimated how many of the enemy there was. There are two smaller colonies that we tend to dismiss. I am asking Cabinet members if they wouldn't mind halftime security so that we can take soldiers out of the Capital for the proper support that we need."

"Oh, I'm pleased to see this updated opinion. I would be completely fine with any lack of personal security that you saw fit. I'm sure I can discuss with any other members if they give you any trouble. I am a true patriot and I would opt to have zero security detail until this dreadful situation has been completely resolved."

"I appreciate your sacrifice, sir. I will take note of that and see what other responses I get from the rest of the cabinet members."

"Thank you, Admiral. I look forward to putting this whole mess behind us." His face disappeared. The Admiral sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. He began making requests to speak to the rest of the cabinet.


	11. Chapter 11

Riley Cooper was running through the jungle. She was running because they had an extraction plan. Frankie needed to be told the details. Crowe was already at the safe house. She had to find Rizzoli. She finally reached the base camp where guards had been doubled. She came towards them cautiously. "Stop!" She immediately obeyed the command.

"Come on, McCord. You know it's me!" Riley hated this guy, there was always some weird power play from him when she wasn't looking for it.

"Well, you are more than a few days late to return. You need to talk to Rizzoli before you come back in here, you could have gotten infected or somethin'."

"What I got was knocked the fuck out! Look at this gash on my head! Then, I got lost! In case you forgot, McCord, we are in the middle of a jungle."

He rolled his eyes and called for his superior as was his duty. She shook her head at having to wait. She needed to get stitched up. When Crowe hit her in the head with the butt of his weapon, it felt like her entire skull had split open. She had fallen on her knees and cursed him. Crowe laughed and she he'd always wanted to hit her for all the times she didn't shut the hell up. After she stood up and shook off the pain, she told him to get into position for his turn. It needed to look as though they had been in the battle. She took her crack at his jaw and broke it. He didn't laugh or talk much after that.

The battle itself did not go quite as planned. The weapon that they had did indeed inject many people in quicker succession. However, no one thought about people's will to survive. The clan had been more prepared than they thought. The first wave of people went down fast. The transformation was not quick at all. There were piles of people lying there when a second wave came out and attacked the unit.

Explosions had come out of no where. No one had the intel that they had the capabilities of creating the mine field at the northern end of the village. Frankie heard the first one and closed his eyes. He hated that he had to do this. He attempted to miss as many targets as possible, only hitting them when he had to. His only salvation was knowing that there was a cure. Overall, the campaign was a success. There were still soldiers that were missing. Many were being treated in medical. Scouting missions happened in the first couple days. Every few days someone injured made it back to camp.

Frankie came down and thanked McCord for following protocol. He took Riley Cooper with him into the camp. "That's a pretty good gash." He said smiling at her and pointing to her head. "Did Crowe enjoy it?"

"Not as much as I did when I broke his jaw, sir." She smiled back at him. They talked quietly as they made their way to the medical facility.

He smirked. "Cooper, you are something else. Did you get word back?"

"Yes, sir. We are scheduled for extraction tonight. We're going home. Meet me on the southeast corner near the mess hall. We are to make it look like a lover's meeting."

He slapped her ass, "Well, that won't be hard."

She scoffed, "Well, you'd better be." They both laughed before she stretched up to kiss him. "I missed you." She laid her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"I missed you, too. I'm glad you're ok." They were both tired. They would meet Crowe and the extraction would happen at midnight. They would be back home soon enough.

* * *

Maura sat at her desk and Jane beside her. She did not want to do this, but it was necessary. She requested to be in contact with her husband. They waited for nearly twenty minutes before a voice sounded out, "Maura Isles, your husband, Nkosi Themba requests a call with you." Maura gave her approval. His holographic face appeared before them.

"Ah! Maura, how is my beautiful wife?"

"Please, Nkosi, this is already difficult enough, let's get to the point."

"Oh, come now Maura. You can't even address your husband properly."

Maura shifted uncomfortably. "Husband in title only. You know that this was simply a political move. There is no love between us."

"Ha! That's true, made for an awkward wedding night, did it not? I hope you have found someone to make you happy." He laughed boisterously.

"I need to talk to you about something. I need your help."

"Maura, please tell me you have found love!"

She looked over briefly at Jane who was finding this very amusing. "Yes, I have." He looked over at Jane.

"I see. I approve of this match. Now, what it is that you need my help with?" She explained what was happening in Former Asia. That he and his army was much closer and able to quarantine the clans that have been changed and administer the antidote that will be sent to him if he agrees.

"For you, my dear. I will do this. We will crush our enemies." They ended the call and Maura sat still for a few moments.

Jane chuckled slightly, "I like him! Why does he scare you so much? He was helpful and incredibly supportive."

"I never told you about my wedding night. Let's just say that I was not quite into his taste in the sexual arts." Jane laughed again. "It was horrible and awkward. No one should have to go through that."

"I bet if it was with the right person, it wouldn't be so bad. What exactly was so horrible?"

Maura smiled slightly and whispered into Jane's ear.

"Oh, we are doing that tonight." She leaned over and kissed her quickly. "Now, I'm going to take a shower. I'll be back in a bit."

Jane stepped out of the shower and began to dry off her body. Maura walked in and watched her for a moment. "I know that we are at war and it is not appropriate, but I want you right now." Jane looked up at her as her wet hair hung from her head and dripped onto the floor.

"Uh." She took the towel and ran it quickly back and forth over her head. When she was done, she threw her hair up and over her head and smirked. "I think it's been two days too long already."

Maura feigned shock, "Jane Rizzoli!" Jane rolled her eyes and walked into the bedroom.

Jane stood at the foot of the bed and looked around. "Ok, so...how exactly does that work?"

Maura looked at her curiously. "How does what work?"

"Do I tie you to the edge of the bed before or after I bring out the whip?"

"We are not doing that."

"Come on! Ok, I'll let you go first. Where is your whip?" Maura rolled her eyes and walked over and wrapped her arms around Jane's neck.

"Just kiss me." Jane obeyed and leaned forward and kissed her. Maura pushed her suddenly onto the bed. "Also, you should know by now that I would not be tied up. I would rather have you lying there at my mercy as I drug small leather straps across your bare skin. Perhaps, bite you with my teeth as I lick and kiss you." She climbed on to the bed and straddled her. "Or, I can just do what I already do well."

Jane smiled and flipped her onto her back. "I love when you try these little power games with me." She leaned down and kissed her hard. Maura moaned and grabbed at her skin. Jane needed release. She started to take off the clothing that Maura was wearing, while digging her thigh into her. Maura rubbed herself by moving her hips up and down Jane's leg. She pulled her hand between them and shoved it between the top woman's thighs until she found her way inside. Jane growled as they both pushed one another closer to the edge of where they were headed. Jane felt it first as Maura followed. As their breathing returned to normal, Jane got up from the bed and looked at Maura who was still laid out, with a smile on her face.

"Next time, we are doing the thing. For real." Maura groaned in protest and then sat up slightly and smiled in anticipation as Jane walked out of the room.

* * *

Frost was on duty with an unknown. Not just any unknown. The one who used to be Jane Rizzoli's little brother. He was known as Tommy once upon a time. That name was far gone from him now. He had been trained well and right now, he was activated. This meant that he could talk and communicate and use his intellect. While deactivated, an unknown was a mute that served those in the Capitol campus. Depending on the person, they had a different role to play.

Each of the unknowns had a special deactivated skill. The man who grew out of little Tommy Rizzoli was an expert chef. It was a shame that he didn't know he inherited that talent from his mother. Frost observed him as he watched the night. He was impressed how much like Jane he was. He also looked remarkably like his siblings.

"So, may I call you Tommy?" Frost said as they sat looking over the main strip outside of Hoyt's office building.

"I haven't been called that in so many years, it feels weird. Just call me TJ."

"Did you recognize Jane when you first saw her?"

TJ looked over at her quizzically. "Recognize her? I just met her." He picked up his vision gear and held it to his eyes.

"They told you that she was your sister, though, right?"

Without straying from his search of the grounds he spoke softly. "I can't really explain this very well. I was taken to a facility and most of my memories of home were erased. Home gives you an emotional tie that you can't hang on to in our line of work. It's dangerous and if we were all worried about our families it would ruin our ability to protect and serve." He brought the goggles down and looked over at the man sitting next to him.

"When we've been activated, it's like waking up from a sleep. I have no idea what I do when I'm not on duty. They explained it to me. Well, the Commander tried to explain it to me. I have one memory of Jane and my brother and mother. It was my birthday. We were sitting around large table and they were laughing and that's all I know."

"So, they didn't erase everything?"

"That doesn't mean anything to me. I just remember how crazy her hair was. And how loudly she laughed."

Frost laughed. He'd known Jane his whole life. "You are right about that. Her hair was crazy. Sometimes, I wondered if she ever brushed it. Like out to here." He motioned with his arms out to his sides. TJ smiled.

"We have a job to do here Frost." He turned and looked back out over the green park. There was a light from the building and someone was standing in the doorway. Soon, Hoyt appeared. He stood on the step and looked around. He then started walking across the pathway and between a few smaller buildings. TJ grabbed the gear pack and started heading towards his direction. After a few steps, he turned and whispered, "Do exactly as I say." Frost followed.

The made their way around the side of another office building and TJ held up his hand. They both stopped. Frost waited until the time was right for him to begin to move again. They followed Hoyt through the streets and finally saw him slip into a small garden shack. After a beat, TJ shot up and ran over to the door. He put his ear against it and listened for a moment and opened it. It was empty. Frost looked inside. There was no indication that there was anyone there or had been there.

"Damn, he lost us." A hand closed over his mouth. Slowly, it fell away and he watched as the younger man put a single finger to his lips. Looking around at the ground, there was a rug full of dust and dirt.

TJ pulled it up at the corner and there was what appeared to be a door. He opened it and looked into the dark hole. Grabbing up his goggles, he put them on and motioned to Frost to do the same. He started his way down the ladder as the soldier followed behind him. Once at the bottom, there was a dark hallway, they moved carefully through until there was a sharp turn.

Pressing against the wall, TJ looked around the corner and pulled back. He motioned that he saw two guards in front of a door. Frost pulled out his weapon. The corridor was still very dark and the only light was a very dim one right between the two men who were standing on either side. They didn't expect there to be anyone else coming down the passage. They had an advantage of racing out of the dark toward them.

After a few more inaudible instructions, Frost nodded in agreement. They sprinted off towards their destination. By the time TJ had cocked his arm back and forced it into the left guards jaw, the second realized what had happened and stood up to help. Frost came out of the darkness and slammed the back of his weapon against his temple. Both men collapsed on the floor. TJ bent over them both and struck them a few more times to make sure that they wouldn't soon wake.

Frost looked at him with surprise. He looked at the door, it needed a handprint for entry. He grabbed the closest guard and held his hand awkwardly over the pad. The door opened into another dark corridor that opened into an empty room. There was a large window that looked out into what looked like a warehouse. There was Hoyt talking to an old man who had four guards with a weapon fixed on him.

TJ watched and was assessing the situation as Frost watched the old man, who stood up excitedly and walked over to a table. "Holy shit!" he said quietly. "TJ, that's...that's Frank Rizzoli."

"My brother was not that much older than I." He looked curiously at the man who had started coughing.

"No, that's not your brother. That is your father." TJ looked again. He had no recollection of the man whatsoever. He had not been present at the one family memory that he had. He was a stranger.

"We have to bring him back. He has information that we need." Hoyt started walking towards the back of the room and left with two guards. The other two seemed to relax and sit back down as the old man sat tiredly on a stool, hunched over as he leaned his head into his hand.

"We are supposed to follow Hoyt and gather information on him." Frost reminded him.

TJ shook his head. "This man has what we need." He motioned again and Frost reluctantly agreed as they went to take out the last two men standing between them and Frank Rizzoli. The first was easy as he opened the door and slammed it into him and knocked him off of his stool. Frost turned and hit him hard in the face with the back of his weapon as TJ swung his leg into the air and connected with the second guard.

Frank stood up, clearly frightened and grabbed the closest thing to a weapon he saw. "Where are you from and how did you find me?" He asked as he pointed a large piece of crooked metal toward them.

Frost holstered his gun and held his hands up in the air. "Sir, you may not remember me, but I know your daughter, Jane." The metal dropped in elevation slightly. Frost listened to the man's thoughts. He was suddenly confused and Frost knew he could talk to him and gain his trust quickly.

"Janie? You know my Janie?" Frost nodded. "Oh God, is she alright?" Frost nodded again.

"Sir," Frost heard the connection in Franks head. He recognized him. "I went to school with her, do you remember me?" Frank slowly nodded. Frank was thinking quickly between his wife, Jane, Frankie, and Tommy. He longed to see their faces, see what they looked like after all of these years. Then, suddenly his thoughts changed to Hoyt telling him that President Isles needed his service and he would never see them again. He instantly lost hope and the metal shard raised again.

"We had orders from cabinet member Hoyt, sir. These two men have betrayed Cordova. We were tasked with moving you to a new location that is safe for you. You are to meet directly with President Isles."

Frank stood there thinking. _Why wouldn't he have told me this? I've been a loyal servant for my Country. Frost. This is that little boy, Frost. He was Janie's best friend. Hoyt was just here and didn't say anything about moving me to a new location._

"Sir, I forgot to mention. Hoyt, was just present and had instructed us to come in after he left because he knew that these two would let their guard down. He knew that you would be safe. That was his main concern. Your safety. Please come with us now." TJ stood there silently studying the man and absent mindedly feeling the edge of his jaw. They had the same jaw line. He felt the edge of his nose, he had the man's nose. His training had rid him of most emotions. However, seeing this man was causing him to feel something in his chest that he didn't quite recognize.

"Pop." He suddenly said. Frank looked at him sharply and swung the metal toward him. "Look at me. I think I was a baby when you left us. But I can tell by looking at you." Frank dropped the metal and it clanged loudly as it hit the hard floor. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah, Pop. It's me." It was foreign and didn't feel as though he was telling the truth. "I swear, we aren't here to hurt you. We're here to bring you home."

Frank's eyes were filling with tears as he studied the young man before him. He walked over to him and ran his finger down his nose and across his cheek. He looked into his eyes. He gasped. "Ang! You have your mothers eyes. They're beautiful." He grabbed him into a hug and he held him tightly. "My boy! You're my boy!" TJ allowed the gesture but felt awkward until it was over. He stood there and hear something moving behind him.

"We've gotta go now." They grabbed some rope and tied up the men that were on the floor. And took a bit more as they walked out to the front entry. When they got to the door, only one guard remained on the ground, they tied him and looked around. The other had disappeared. They moved slowly as a group and finally made it to the top of the ladder in the garden shed. They went straight to Maura's house.

The door opened and Jane was the first thing that Frank saw. He stood there ragged and weak. The three men walked into the door as it closed behind them. Maura stood next to Jane and watched her face. She stared at her father and her brother for a few moments as her eyes uncharacteristically filled with tears. She held them back for a moment and looked at Frost. "How did...where...how did this happen?" Frost and TJ looked one another.

"Janie." Frank said quietly. He walked over and held her. Frost motioned to Maura.

He had heard enough of Frank's thoughts to piece together what had happened. "We need your mother here. He won't believe us unless he hears it from her directly." Maura nodded and left to room to summon Constance to come immediately to her house. On a secured channel, Frost updated her on what information he had gotten unbeknownst to Frank.

The family reunion was short lived as President Isles arrived. Frank bowed to her and thanked her for allowing him to be helpful to her in keeping Cordova safe and for protecting his family. She sat across from him and smiled graciously. "Mr. Rizzoli. There is some top level security that I'm going to ignore at the moment. As someone who has been through and sacrificed as much as you have, I am granting you clearance. Do you understand?"

Frank nodded as he settled comfortably into what he thought was the softest thing he had ever touched. "Now, what I am about to tell you is the complete truth and I need for you listen to what I am telling you regardless of your emotional reaction." Jane walked into the room and sat down next to her father. "Captain Rizzoli, has been an exceptional addition to our military. She has spent her time moving quickly up the ranks and protecting the most important dignitaries of our Country." Frank smiled at his daughter, who was slightly blushing.

"As you can see, young Tommy as has had an important role in our nation's security. Your son Frankie is returning from an overseas assignment presently." Jane looked up at her and then looked at Maura who smiled warmly at her. She returned the smile.

"Your wife, Angela, has become a dear friend to me. She is the head cook for the Beta clan and loves her life. Your family has been relatively happy and healthy since you've been gone."

Frank sat up and dropped his head. "May I ask a question, Ma'am?" She gave her permission. "Why would you take me from my family? I would have worked for you freely. I was a prisoner and lost time with these beautiful children. You stole that from me."

"Pop!" Jane said as he started to get a little more upset. She placed a hand on his arm. "You have to listen to her answer." He sat back and waited.

"This is where the confidential information comes into conversation." She started. "I never authorized for you to be taken away from your family. There has been a darkness growing for the past 20 years. That darkness was cultivated by someone I had trusted. Charles Hoyt acted of his own volition. We had no idea where you were and I spent a lot of manpower and time looking for you. As Angela and I became closer, I was more determined. However, there were a few others that had also disappeared around the same time. There was a rumor that you had run away with a young girl, Lydia and left your family. That is how they were treated by everyone in your clan."

Frank had a confused look on his face. "That little girl? I saw her once. She's brilliant. She was on our team. Why would I run away with a small girl that was the same age as my own?"

Jane put her calming hand on his arm again. "Pop, we all knew you didn't run away with her. Ma knows you would never have done that to us or to her."

"If Hoyt took me, without anyone's knowledge. Oh my. There are a few of us. He told us all the same thing. We were making weapons to make our country safer."

"I understand that this is a lot to take in. I'm of the mindset that you have to be told the facts and the truth. How you handle it is up to you. Hoyt has been developing a serum that turns humans into the walking dead. There are small nanobots that are in the serum and he has the ability to control these dead people who can walk and attack as directed. He wants to create his own personal army to take over control of Cordova and have the power that he thinks he deserves. Trust me when I tell you that having this much power is not always a picnic."

Frank stared at the ground for a while. Frost could hear him fighting with himself. Frank had believed it, every word out of Hoyt's twisted mouth. He had to in order to survive. Now, hearing the truth was jarring him. Frost looked at Jane and shook his head slightly.

"Pop. I know that this sounds crazy. I can't imagine what you went through or what you were told or what you believed to be true for so long. But you know I would never lie to you. Every word that she's telling you is the truth. You have a choice here, Pop. You can go with Frost and Tommy to help you with this transition or you can reject it. I know what Ma would want you to pick. Strength and courage is something that I can tell kept you alive for years. You have to give it one more push and then you can go home to be with your wife."

Frank leaned over and hugged his daughter again. "Take me where you're gonna take me. I'll do whatever I have to do to see that beautiful woman again."


	12. Chapter 12

There was a loud ringing noise and Jane groaned in irritation, while she tightened her hold around Maura. "Jane, I've got to get that." She said roughly. She received another groan, but was released. She walked over to her dresser and pressed a button. A bluish light shimmered and formed into Korsak's face.

"I'm so sorry to call at this hour. We have word from Former Asian colonies. The Under Army has been more difficult to control than we thought. Your husband and his troops have been administering the antidote as much as they can while trying to fight troops who have been coming in and attacking from the jungle."

"How many casualties?"

"They went in with two battalions and handful of medical teams."

"How many?"

"So far what we're hearing is over half dead. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Nkosi was in the middle of the fighting and was killed when he was walking into the attack." Maura closed her eyes. Jane immediately got out of bed and walked over to her.

"Maur, I'm so sorry." She said as she held her.

Maura allowed herself a moment. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm more concerned with why they are being slaughtered out there."

"The colonel on the ground is calling in more troops, but there is a problem because the new leader of Former Africa doesn't feel they should be involved and is blaming you for using your womanly sourcery over their leader and talking him into sending troops to begin with. They don't have the military experience that we have nor the resources for training. There is a major power struggle. The newest group that is assuming power is not a fan of Cordova by any means. Your mother is still trying to smooth things over with them and explain the situation."

"I want to send some reinforcement as an olive branch. I did not intend to send them to their deaths. We can't move our military from their position, but we can send the unknowns. Make it happen. We can't just go in the same way. Send them as an intelligence gathering mission. We need to find out what we're up against."

Korsak agreed. "Yes, commander. We still need to keep a few scattered throughout the clans in case of an uprising here at home. I'm going to President Isles' office to call a meeting."

"Agreed. Make it happen. I'll get dressed and meet you there in twenty minutes." Korsak's blue face nodded as he signed off and the light dissipated. Maura turned in Jane's arms and buried her head in the crook of her neck. "It's my fault. I sent him to his death."

"You didn't send him there to die. You sent him to fight against an insane man's terror and save good people. This is war. You made the right call." She kissed the side of her head. "Maybe we should get ready and go to your mother's office to figure this out." Maura stood and nodded in agreement. Both women got dressed and left the house.

Outside felt darker than Jane remembered it. Lights that were normally shining down on to the street were off. She thought it odd but then again, she had never been outside in this part of the capital at this hour before. She looked around again and didn't see any patrols. She stopped walking as Maura continued. She turned her head and looked into the darkness and didn't see anyone anywhere. She looked up and didn't see the blinking lights of the drones.

She heard Maura's footsteps stop. "Sorry," she said as she turned around and saw a very large man holding a knife to Maura's neck.

"Don't you move Rizzoli or I slit her throat." Jane looked around to assess how quickly she could get to where she was. Suddenly, she felt something hit her in the back of the head and she saw a flash of pain as her hands hit the ground. Disoriented, she tried to get up and she was hit again and everything went black.

* * *

Casey Jones was sitting in a room with Frank Rizzoli. For the past week, Frank had been going through a deprogramming therapy to reintroduce him to a world he didn't know existed. Now, he was sitting uncomfortably looking at someone that he figured was about the same age as his eldest daughter. "Mr. Rizzoli, I wanted to thank you for all of the information that you've given to us. It's been very helpful. We've been using your design for the cartridges to fill with the antidote. The only thing we need to know is where to find the manufacturing site for the weapon. I know that these were your design. There must be a time when you left to oversee production."

"I've told you. I never left that room. I slept, worked, ate. I had guards that I tried to talk to at first, they ended up not being talkative. I drew plans and built prototypes. That's it. That's all I know."

"I know that sometimes there is information in our brains that we don't even realize is important or meaningful. Did you ever overhear Hoyt say something about where the prototypes were being taken or maybe a guard had a conversation about going somewhere or being on patrol somewhere?"

Casey leaned back and waited. Frank sat and churned through twenty years of memories. He looked over at the other man and he looked like a memory had been sparked. "Actually, the guys did talk to each other. There was one place that they hated working. They called it the hole. They didn't like that they were so far down underground. It was something that they complained about all the time. They didn't talk about where it was. But one day this guy, Joey said, 'great, gotta take this hunk of junk to the hole.' It was a small explosive that had a remote control to detonate it from a hundred yards away."

"Perfect! Thank you." Casey pressed a button and TJ walked into the room. Frank smiled at him.

"TJ, I need you and a small team to gather information on a large facility that would have been built underground and capable of manufacturing weapons. They call it 'The Hole.' We need a location. It could be near the city." TJ nodded and left.

* * *

President Isles was pacing in her office. Korsak, Admiral Frost, Frankie Rizzoli and Riley Cooper were sitting and watching her walk back and forth. Constance couldn't help but think that they had taken a detour. She would need to speak to her daughter about keeping her libido under control when there was a national crisis. Exasperated she blurted out, "We can't wait for them. Let's get started." She turned and pointed at Frankie and Riley. "I need to know how many troops we are talking about here."

"Ma'am, there were only two battalions under my command. There was a second group with two battalions."

Korsak sat up, "That's only about two thousand troops."

"Closer to three actually, sir." Cooper piped up.

Admiral Frost, "How did three thousand ground troops go unaccounted for and have a mission like this without my knowledge?"

Frankie began to speak. "Sir, if I may, they are recruited while in training. When they graduate, they are collected and given false order within military records. He's has been collecting them for a long time. Some of them are in the military and are recruited and trained to follow their other orders and are only called upon to serve the Under Army if required. It is similar to the Code of Promise. No one knows you are involved in one side or another until you are on an assignment. They also explain away absences to commanding officers. They don't question an order from Admiral Frost."

"They are giving orders in my name?" He was furious.

"Yes, sir. Most of these guys really are brainwashed to think that this is all on the up and up and are serving President Isles. They have no idea that Hoyt is behind all of this."

Constance interrupted when she saw an eruption in the Admiral's face. "We don't have time to get caught up in details that matter not. My name is being dragged in the mud here as well. We have to focus on the issue at hand. Rizzoli, tell me what is going on over there."

"Sir, I believe that they were anticipating Cordova invading. The other Colonel was doing secret missions where they would scout for any location that troops would land. The point was to line the shores or fields that were ideal locations with explosives." Frankie looked around the room. "I sent updates as I could. They sent those guys out there before I was able to warn anyone where the locations were."

"Pull up a map of Former Asia." Across the desk flashed a globe that rotated and the zoomed into the Former Asia continent. Most of the map had large black areas that were still in quarantine. There were a few areas that lit up and President Isles moved her hands and zoomed into the southeast. It was the largest area of light. She looked along the shorelines.

Admiral Frost stood and walked over towards the desk. "This area here used to be known as Vietnam, here was Cambodia, which was next to Thailand." Most of Thailand was black. "The area along this eastern coast is where the largest colony is located. Here is where Rizzoli and Cooper were located. This southwestern side of the southern peninsula shore was where Former African troops landed." Frankie, Korsak, and Cooper joined them at the map.

Cooper started pointing, "They planted the explosives in these areas."

"Where is the open area where they are arriving and departing?" Korsak asked.

Frankie pointed to a Northeastern area near a black quarantine area. "Once you get here, it's another 14 hour trip by ground vehicle."

"I think we have another option. We have had our troops camped outside of the clans in the unknown lands. There are areas that we haven't explore due to the quarantine. This situation called for it. We have not had any issues with anyone. Three hundred years may have been long enough, if we landed here," He pointed to a black area, "I think we could surprise them."

President Isles turned and began pacing. "I don't like breaking the treaties by going into areas that were agreed to keep clear. However, this is the largest colony in Former Asia and they are a walking dead army. Admiral Frost, I think you should send in as many troops as you think you need."

Korsak spoke up, "If I may, Maura wanted to send in a group to gather intelligence. We discussed it prior to us planning on meeting here."

"Oh, did she? It's been nearly three hours since she was supposed to meet here. You said that she said twenty minutes. It's been well over. She clearly has her priorities screwed up and has ignored all of our call requests."

"Ma'am, I will head to her place and bring her myself. But those are the orders that she gave me."

Constance sighed. "Very well, send about one hundred to get on the ground and gather intelligence. They need to scout out that area to make sure it's safe." The rest of the conversation gave everyone in the room an assignment. They agreed and left to do their work. "Vince!" Constance called out as he was leaving. "Please, may I have a moment?"

"Of course." He walked back in and the door swooshed closed behind him.

"I assume that you are aware of the nature of my daughter's relationship with Captain Rizzoli..."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"As angry as I am with her right now, I am becoming concerned. She knows that this is important. It's not like her to shirk her responsibilities. I don't like it. I understand being in love and all of that, but she's crossed a line here."

"This isn't our business to judge without knowing what held them up."

"Her gallivanting in the bedroom with her new lover while people are dying..."

"Ma'am, we don't know the facts. Let me go have a talk with both of them. I think she may be blaming herself for Nkosi's death." Constance looked up at him with her mouth slightly open.

"I didn't think about that. Please, go and check on her. Let me know when you have more facts to share." Korsak nodded and excused himself. As he walked out of the office, Lieutenant Frost was standing in the reception area.

"Korsak, sir. I'm reporting for duty." He read the worry in the older man's head. "Let's go." Korsak nodded and they headed for Maura's house. When they finally reached her sector, Korsak noticed the lack of drones and the lack of lighting. Frost verbally agreed that it was odd.

"Can you stop that! My thoughts are my thoughts. Stay out of my head!" Korsak snapped.

Frost chuckled. "You know, there may come a time that you want me to hear what you're thinking. But this," he pointed around the street, "Is probably just a power outage. Maybe that's why she didn't answer the call request. You know she doesn't leave the house without a shower and looking completely put together."

"Yeah, well. I've worked with her for years. She is the best leader I've ever worked with. She has never told me that she would do something and not follow through. I think this," he made a similar gesture with both hands, "is causing me to worry more. Hoyt has to be aware that there was a landing in Former Asia. He also has to be aware that Frank Rizzoli is gone. He's been flying under the radar for over twenty years. Building a very complex army with thousands of soldiers that have no idea that they are taking orders by an imposter. I think he's scrambling and he must know that Maura is important in the Code of Promise. It would make her a target. I don't think the lights on this street being off is coincidental."

They walked up the steps of Maura's house and requested entry. There was no answer. Frost walked around and attempted to climb up to Maura's bedroom window to see if they were sound asleep. The tree had a branch that leaned over. He climbed out onto it and looked inside. He saw an empty bed. He climbed back down and rejoined Korsak on the porch. The sun was starting to lighten the sky. "They aren't in the bedroom." Korsak pulled out a card and swiped it. A voice responded to the attempt.

"I'm sorry, the occupant you are looking for is not home. Thank you for your visit, Vincent Korsak."

"What time did the occupant leave?" He swiped the card again.

"I was secured nearly four hours ago."

"I have clearance for emergency entry. Allow us in." He swiped the card.

"Vincent Korsak. Entry has been granted." The door flew open and the two men went inside. They both looked from room to room and did not see any signs of struggle. They met back up in the living room.

"There is not a damn thing out of place. If they left four hours ago, something happened to them while they were headed to the meeting. Should we alert President Isles?" Frost asked.

"No, but if they were taken there's a four hour head start. Let's retrace their path and identify where the power outages of the street lights are." Frost nodded in agreement and they went back outside. They started by looking around. The sun was still climbing higher and they didn't have much time to establish where the street lights were not on.

Frost jogged away from the house and looked up joining streets and alleys. The lights were on two blocks over. Korsak went in the opposite direction. It was the street that led to Constance's office where most of the lights were out. Korsak and Frost met in front of Maura's house.

"Sir, I know Jane. She would have noticed the lights were off and thought it odd, they had to have been taken right around here."

Korsak looked down at the ground. "You are right. She would have walked out and started to investigate. I've seen her do it. She would have walked to about here." He walked over to illustrate his point. He looked down, "Frost, come here." Frost followed as Korsak sank to the ground and drug his finger across the pavement. He held up his finger, there was a red smear across the tip. "This looks like blood to me."

"And if it's Jane's then where the hell did he take them?"Frost stood up and looked around. "Where are you?" He closed his eyes and tried to listen for her and for Maura. All that came in was the cacophony of people dreaming or thinking incoherently. He tried to focus and really hear them. There was nothing. He wasn't near them at all. They really were gone. He opened his eyes to an expectant Korsak. He shook his head. I can't hear Maura. I've never been able to hear Jane. They aren't nearby. That's all I can tell you." Korsak looked around and started walking towards the lab. "Where are you going?"

"I'm taking this to the lab. I want to confirm that it's Jane's blood. There's a tech there that I trust. Susie Chang. She'll be able to confirm who this belongs to." He kept walking and threw back a look. Frost nodded and jogged to catch up with him.


	13. Chapter 13

**4 Hours Ago...**

"Ah, Dr. Isles. You saved us the embarrassment of having to break into your lovely home." Came the snarly voice of Charles Hoyt as he emerged from a shadow from the side of her house. He walked out onto the dark street slowly. "Well, done boys." He walked next to the man who was standing over Jane's limp body. "Pick her up and let's go." The man bent down and grabbed Jane and hoisted her over his shoulder. He followed behind Hoyt as he walked towards Maura.

"If you hurt her..." Maura said as she felt the man behind her press the blade harder against her neck.

"You'll do what exactly, Doctor?" His laugh was breathy and low. "Stark, let's bring Dr. Isles along." Stark smiled and pushed her forward and they started walking. Soon, they had arrived at Hoyt's office. The other man dropped Jane on the floor. Hoyt directed him to leave. Once he was gone, Hoyt stood and looked at the pile on the floor and the corner of his mouth twisted into a crooked grin. He walked over to his desk and pressed a button. The wall opened and Maura saw a room that looked like a morgue.

Stark grabbed Maura and shoved her inside. There was a steel dissection table that gleamed in the light. He forced her to lay on it and she tried to kick him. Hoyt laughed as he walked into the room. He held her shoulders down as her legs were bound and handcuffed to the table.

Stark repeated the process with her arms. Hoyt moved his hand from her shoulder and drew a finger up the side of her neck, across her cheek and stopped when he felt a tear. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath into his nostrils. "This is what I needed. Get that one in here." Stark went out to bring Jane into the room. Hoyt grabbed a wooden chair and placed it facing Maura.

Jane slumped into herself as Stark handcuffed her to the arms of the chair. Hoyt watched as her legs were bound to the base of the chair. Stark stood up and closed the door. Hoyt slithered over and said, "Jaaannniiiee." Jane groaned and slowly lifted her head. The pain was intense and she reached her hand to feel the back of her head. Abruptly, she realized that she couldn't move it. Her eyes focused and she saw Maura lying on a metal table. She started to struggle and screamed out in frustration when she realized she couldn't move.

Hoyt walked over to a cabinet on the wall. He opened it and grabbed two scalpels. He walked over and held one in each hand. Jane gripped the chair arms tightly as she watched him. He held them up and slammed them down through the tops of her hands. She screamed out in pain as the point of each blade dug past her flesh, through bone, and became embedded into the wood. Maura watched helplessly and screamed, "Nooooooo!" The room filled with the sounds of clanging as Maura fought against her restraints.

Hoyt stuck his finger out and caught a drop of blood dripping from her finger. He walked over to Maura and wiped the blood across her cheek. "This is the most important drop of blood that has ever spilled on this floor. It has a secret power. You know all about that don't you, Doctor? Did you find out before or after the two of you became a couple."

"I'm going to fucking kill you." Jane said in a steady, low voice. She looked at him piercingly.

"Oh, Janie. I've always liked you. I'm going to like you more after I slit your throat and watch all of your power drain all over my floor." He put his hand on Maura's stomach and rubbed slowly. "Of course, that won't happen until you watch me enjoy your woman."

"Get your hands off of her you sick son of a bitch!" She strained from moving. Her hands were seering in pain. Hoyt smiled. This was when he could feel something. The anger of others fed

him.

"Well, I hate to cut this short, but I have a country to take possession of." Hoyt opened the door and walked out of the room.

"Jane, look at me." Jane looked up. "I need for you to breathe. Concentrate on your breathing. Nice and slow." Jane inhaled and shakily let it out. "I know that you can't move your hands. Do you see any way to get free?" Jane's head was spinning. She looked around the room. She felt her eyes getting heavy. "Jane, stay with me. Jane!" Her head dropped as she passed out.

* * *

**Present time... **

Korsak was standing next to a white table as Susie Chang was collecting the sample from his finger. "I'm so glad you were here. I really appreciate your help on this. How long should this take?" She took the swab and placed it into a machine.

"No more than a few minutes." Frost looked around the room. This was the largest room he can ever remember being in. "Lieutenant, we have everyone in Cordova's DNA on file. We collect records for situations like this." Frost nodded absentmindedly. The machine made a whirring sound and then suddenly it stopped.

A voice spoke out, "Sample analysis complete. Sample type: blood. Blood type: O. Belonging to Jane Clementine Rizzoli of the Beta Clan. Daughter of Frank and Angela Rizzoli. Sister of Francesco and Thomas Rizzoli." Frost's face twisted and he looked at Korsak.

"Clementine?" He said. The voice continued.

"Sample has properties of healing. Sample is free of any foreign drugs. Sample did have small debris containing minerals consisting mostly of topsoil. Topsoil type: sand. End of analysis."

"I think he took them." Korsak said.

"Yeah, but they could be anywhere."

"I'm sorry. But who do you think took Captain Rizzoli and Dr. Isles?" Susie asked.

"Charles Hoyt."

"Oh my God." She looked down at the floor and covered her mouth with her hand for a moment. Her head snapped back up as she began to talk. "He had me run tests. In order to run his subjects, he needs a human brain to plug into his computer. Dr. Isles was the perfect match. I didn't know he would take her. He told me he would ask her to help."

"Susie, do you know where this computer is?" She shook her head.

"I know that he also knows that Captain Rizzoli's blood is what is curing the infected. I think that he might have them in his office. He has a false wall behind his desk. There is a room behind it. I've seen it as the wall was closing once. What can I do to help?"

Korsak grabbed her and hugged her. "That was exactly the kind of help we needed. Thank you, Chang." He and Frost started jogging out of the lab. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and an alarm began to sound.

"Warning. You are to stay where you are. Warning. Stay where you are. Warning. Do not panic. Warning. Stay where you are." The sounds of the doors closing and locking caused Frost to run over to the nearest door and he tried to open it. It wouldn't budge.

"Dammit. What's going on?" Korsak said.

"We're in lockdown." Susie responded.

* * *

Admiral Frost was walking to his war room and the sun was shining low in the sky. He heard what sounded like marching. He quickly hid behind a tree as he watched men holding Frank Rizzoli's weapon and marching down the street. People in the capital were beginning to run and scream as they were being shot in the street. He ran over to a building and pressed a button on his wrist. "General Jackson, they are attacking now. Flood the streets and take them out." He heard the man's response and pressed the button again, "Barry, where are you?"

Frost's voice rang through but was broken, "Dad, we're in the lab, it's locked down. I need you to get us out of here. Hoyt has Jane and Maura."

"I have clearance to override the lockdown. I'm heading your way." The Admiral looked around at the chaos around him. He had to get to the lab. He knew that if they were moving on the capital, that the other clans were more than likely also being attacked. His wrist began to beep as he started to head towards the research and collection center.

"Sir! It's happening, the Delta Clan is under attack. The troops are on their way to regain control." He acknowledged the commanding officer and pressed his wrist again. It was another officer informing him that the Beta Clan was also under attack, but troops were on their way. By the time he strategically made his way to the lab, he had confirmation that every clan was under attack and people were being turned into regenerated dead.

His wrist beeped. "Sir, confirmation that we have secured President Isles, Cabinet members Gabriel Dean, Byron Sluckey, Sean Cavanaugh, and Charles Jones. We do not have a location on Charles Hoyt. He is not in his office or home. We can no longer wait. We are taking them all to the safe house. We also have no location on Vince Korsak. How do we find Cabinet member Hoyt and Korsak?"

His lifted his wrist, "I will make sure that both are found. Take the others to safety."

When he got to the lab, there were lights flashing and the doors outer protective door had shut down. He grabbed his clearance card and swiped it. The door opened and he went inside. He heard it close and lock behind him. He ran down corridors and past rooms and people who looked frightened. He pressed his wrist, "Barry! Where are you?"

Frost's voice called out, "The DNA lab." He picked up his pace and changed direction at the next hallway.

"Stand back from the door." He swiped his card. The door opened and he saw his son, Korsak, and a lab technician. They immediately all started running back to the exit. "Son, they are attacking the city. We have troops coming in to retake control. But it's not going to be easy to get anywhere. Do you even have any idea where you're going?"

Korsak spoke up, "Hoyt's office."

"I got word that he is not at home or in his office."

Susie spoke as she ran along side them, "I guarantee he is in his office." Admiral Frost looked over at her. He suspended his disbelief as they all raced out of the building and across the capital.

* * *

Jane was starting to wake up. Her hands felt numb. She looked up at Maura. "Maur?" She said groggily. "Maura."

"Yes, Jane. I'm here. I'm here." Maura looked over and tried to evaluate the state of Jane's hands. The blood seemed to have stopped dripping. She could see the pools that sat on the floor next to her feet. "Jane I need for you to think. There has to be a weak spot somewhere. Where is the weak spot?"

Jane looked as instructed. Her hands were in so much pain. "How long have we been here?"

"I've estimated about six or more hours. You've been out for most of them. Which is normal when there is a trauma to the head. Which was compounded by the loss of blood from your hands." Jane smiled. Even in the face of certain death, Maura couldn't help but be herself.

"Am I going to bleed out?"

"No, I think that you've stopped bleeding and there isn't enough blood on the floor to indicate otherwise. Jane. I have to say something. If we don't make it out of this-"

"We will make it out of this." Jane interrupted.

"I know. But if we don't. I need you to know that I love you. I love you more than I've loved anyone in my entire life. I've loved you since I first saw you get into the car when my mother picked you up to take you to training."

"That's funny." Maura looked worried. "That's when I fell in love with you. I saw you sitting there and thought, 'that's the most beautiful person I've ever seen.'"

Maura's tears began to fall again. "This can't be our end. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you."

"If I could just," she started. She picked up her feet and realized that there was a low bar behind her feet. "Maura, what are the handcuffs attached to? This bottom bar or the legs?" Maura looked down.

"It's on the bottom bar." Jane looked up at her and lifted her feet as far up as the handcuffs allowed. She slammed them backwards into the cross member of the chair. The chair creaked. She repeated the move again and heard the sound of wood splintering.

"The joints in this chair. Those are the weak points." She leaned forward and screamed as the scalpel pulled against her hands. She stood awkwardly as the chair lifted slightly with her. She sat back down hard and heard the chair crack. The metal in her hands pulled and the white hot pain shot through her body. They both heard a noise as the wall began to open. Hoyt and Stark walked in as the wall closed behind them.

"Ah, the love birds." Hoyt said as Stark walked over and stood next to Jane. "You know every single couple that has graced my table thought that love would save them. Even when I had my way with the wife or girlfriend, their significant other watching helplessly. They all told each other meaningless things. I started taping their mouths shut. It wasn't quite as fun."

He walked over to another large cabinet. He opened it and pulled out a large metal cork screw. "This one. I used this on a man's leg. He screamed almost as loudly as you did Jane." He placed it back onto the shelf. He pulled out a mallet. "Oh, this. There was a woman who was sitting right where you are Jane. She watched as I slammed this into her lovers knee caps. Do you know what it sounds like when you crush a bone? The grinding, cracking sound? It's a great sound."

Jane watched as he put it back into the cabinet. He turned and walked over to the smaller cabinet. He pulled out another scalpel. He walked over to Maura and put it to her neck. He drug it across her skin and as blood began to seep out of the cut Jane yelled for him to stop. "Oh, my. Just look at the colors against her skin, Jane." Dark crimson ran along alabaster skin, down the line of her neck and dripped onto the table. Hoyt turned around and quickly made an identical incision on Jane's neck as Maura cried and begged him to stop.

Stark leaned over and smelled Jane's hair. "Please, let me have her." He asked as he stood back up.

"Not yet. I wanted to show Jane her present." He pulled something out of his pocket, it looked like a cloth that was glistening red. "Do you see this blood here Jane?" She looked at it as the ball of cloth unravelled to reveal an apron. Recognition entered as she looked frantically with her eyes for her mother's initials on the upper corner. As soon as he knew that she saw it, he smiled his twisted smile and dropped it into a pile on her lap. "She bled out like a stuck pig. It was amazing to watch as she coughed and tried to hold her neck as her blood sprayed all over her kitchen."

Jane willed herself to not give him the reaction that he wanted. If her mother was dead by his hand, it was just another reason she would enjoy killing him. She focused on his face and dared him to make the wrong move. He admired her for it and it frustrated him at the same time. "You know, when I took your father. He was so pathetic. He whined about his little Janie for years. Every time that I saw him bleed I always wondered when I would get the chance to see yours. Every time you sat in my office, it was so difficult for me to work. I just kept imagining you sitting here in my chair."

He walked to the cabinet and pulled out a metal hammer. He bent over and looked at Jane. "Does it bother you that I killed your mother? That I stole your father?" She sat there silently and looked resolved. He did not like her response. He picked up the hammer and slammed it into Maura's arm, the bone beneath cracked as she cried out in excruciating pain. That got the reaction that he wanted. Jane slammed her feet back into the bar as she yelled, "NO!" The satisfying sound of a large snap freed Jane's legs as she tried to stand for the first time in many hours.

Stark viciously grabbed her hair and pulled to get the chair back on the ground. He pulled too hard and she landed on her back. She felt the arms of the chair break as the scalpels in her hands tore. "GET HER UP!" Hoyt yelled at his apprentice. As Stark righted the chair, the broken bar slipped out from the handcuffs around her legs. Seeing her opportunity, she stood and swung her body around. The chair succumbed to the abuse and the arms of the chair broke away from the chair frame. Jane slammed the jagged back edge of the chair's arm into the side of Stark's neck. She pushed it in as far as she could. His face registered absolute shock as his knees hit the floor.

With her freed hands, she grabbed the scalpel and pulled it out of her right hand and freed herself from the part of the chair was was still embedded in his neck. Hoyt picked up the hammer and slammed it into Maura's arm again to gain control of the wild Rizzoli. She screamed as the broken chair finished collapsing to the floor. Jane reached over and kicked a dying Stark. The other scalpel was still embedded in her left hand but the arm of the chair had fallen to the floor. Jane stood there for a moment with swinging handcuffs hanging on her wrists.

She ran towards Hoyt and tackled him to the floor. When her right hand swung down towards his chest, he swung the hammer and knocked the scalpel out of her hand. He pushed her backward and onto her ass. He got up slowly and kicked out his leg. His foot connected with her jaw as she fell backwards. "Janie, likes to play before I kill her."

She got back up and ran at him again. She punched and kicked with all the strength she could muster. He blocked and returned her offense. Maura yelled incoherently in the background. Jane kicked him in the stomach and he fell backwards as the hammer fell away. "You mean, before I kill you, you sick sonuvabitch." She lunged forward and slammed her left hand into his face. He screamed in pain as the scalpel, still embedded in her hand, sliced into his eye. She took her right hand and pressed the top as hard as she could. She screamed in pain as the metal tool was shoved through her hand into Hoyt's brain. He twitched for a few moments and then was still. Jane was crying and stood up, and grabbed the keys from his pocket. Her hands were shaking and suddenly she realized that she couldn't actually grip them enough to free Maura.

She fumbled with them and freed one arm. She handed the keys to Maura who quickly unhooked her other arm and she held on to Jane for dear life. The wall started moving and Jane stood ready for another fight. She saw Korsak and Frost's faces and she fell on her knees and cried. Korsak grabbed her and held her tight as Frost helped Maura get her legs out of bondage. Susie Chang came over and looked at Jane's hands.

"No, check Maura, I think he shattered her arm." Susie looked at the other woman whose arm was hanging limply at her side. Maura nodded towards it with her head.

"It is broken, but we need a doctor to reset it. I'm more concerned with Jane. He shoved scalpels through her hands and she needs surgery immediately. Frost escorted them out of the room and through the office.

Admiral Frost, spoke for the first time. "He began his attack, it's not safe outside. We need to go to the safehouse. They have medical staff with them." Maura agreed and they headed to the safest place that they could go, leaving their attackers dead on the floor.


	14. Chapter 14

The Cordovan troops began to enter the Beta clan. Surprising the Under Army, they came in and provided distraction from their untoward mission. There were people running around outside screaming. Men and women in dark colored uniforms were taking aim and firing their weapons towards them. People who were hit fell hard to the ground and stayed there.

As the cavalry began to flood the streets, they began to shoot towards the white uniforms. Shots were fired back towards them. This gave people more time to run towards safety. As Cordovan forces advanced, the commanders of the UA began to panic. Their charge was to infect civilians and take control of the entire group until they had further orders. Some attempted to run away as their comrades fell to their death. Others dropped their weapons and held up their arms in surrender. Fewer were firing their weapons. They had not anticipated a fight.

Slowly, the white uniforms gained control of the area and began marching prisoners towards the center of the village. They trained their weapons on them as they sat, helpless, with their hands behind their heads. Small groups of white uniforms were chasing down those that ran. The commanding officer sent a message to her superiors to inform them that the Beta clan was secure. She ordered some troops to find the civilians that were hit and infected. They were all equipped with syringes of the antidote.

Some of the people that were hit were beginning to reanimate. They were walking slowly and aimlessly. As they were injecting the antidote, the bodies would collapse back to the ground. A few of the people lying on the ground were also injected and they stayed where they were. A few came out of hiding when they realized that troops had taken control. They began to take their neighbors, friends, and colleagues who had been injected to safety.

Reports were coming in that the same scenario was happening in the other clans. A woman came out into the street asking who the commanding officer was. She was loud and relentless. A soldier stopped her and asked her what her name was and why she wanted to speak to his superior. "I'm Angela Rizzoli and I need to speak to President Isles. I'm the clan's head chef and someone murdered my assistant. They left a message in blood that said, 'I'm going to enjoy slitting your daughter's throat."

"Ma'am, why would you need to speak to President Isles?"

"Because it also said they were going to kill doctor Maura Isles." The man looked at her and lifted his wrist and requested for Commander Martin to immediately come to his location. He knew that she would need to hear what this woman had to say.

* * *

Frankie Rizzoli had his orders. He was supposed to meet with a man named TJ who was going to bring him and his small team information on the location of the warehouse that housed the weapons that he was already familiar with. His objective was to take control of the facility and redirect efforts to remove the infection and replace it with the antidote so that they could send in troops to reclaim those that were wondering the jungle. They saw the UA enter the capital and they also knew that Cordovan troops would be able to handle the situation. TJ was late. He hoped that he had not been caught up in the chaos. He looked at Riley as he stood, ready to leave.

"Frankie, give the guy another ten minutes." He rolled his eyes and sat back down. There was a noise and someone was running towards them. The group stood and held their weapons as a man came running around the corner.

"I was just looking for a yellow rose," the man said. Frankie stood up.

"There are many around, but not this time of year."

"Good." The man reached out his hand and Frankie met him as they shook. "I'm TJ. And you are?"

"Rizzoli. Frankie Rizzoli." The man's eyes widened and a smile came over his face.

"Frankie? Another family reunion." Frankie looked at him with confusion. "I used to go by Tommy. But I'm pretty sure Jane said I called you Fwankie." The confusion was still there. He had been in the jungle for a long time. He couldn't remember anyone that he grew up with who called him that. Just his little brother who was taken away many years before. Tommy. His face softened.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Both men stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do next. "I know you have a lot of questions, I promise to answer them. We have a job to do. I found out where the hole is located. There are about twenty guards standing over about ten people who are on the production line." He looked at the group of six standing in front of him. "I guess we'll have to hope that seven is enough."

"Once we take control, we have to destroy the infection." Frankie said. The group nodded in understanding. He decided he could figure out later what to do about his little brother that he thought was dead. He looked at him for a while. The man before him moved with a relaxed familial motion. His brow furrowed just like Jane. It was difficult for him to see him. He no longer looked like the little boy he had seen last.

They began to make a plan for the attack. TJ drew out a rough floor plan, from his memory, in the dirt. He directed everyone and they all nodded in agreement and headed towards the hole.

* * *

Jane and Maura were walking down a long hallway. Korsak was next to them, Admiral Frost was following up behind while his son lead the way. Jane's hand had begun bleeding again when the scalpels were ripped out of her hands. They had ripped some fabric and quickly wrapped them. Maura looked over and saw that they were beginning to be saturated with blood.

"Jane," she looked down at her hands.

"I'm ok. I'll get stitched up soon. I'm more worried about your arm." Maura grimaced slightly as she held it against herself. "He killed my mother. She's gone." It was starting to hit her. She was thinking about how she finally got her father back, just to lose her mother. Tears welled in her eyes and Maura leaned her head over and saw her fighting the reaction.

"I'm so sorry." Korsak started, "I've known her for a long time. She was an amazing woman." They reached a door. The Admiral used his clearance to open it. Inside were sitting the majority of the Cabinet and President Isles was sitting in a chair leaned over with her face in her hands. She slowly looked up when she heard the door open. Her faced had tear tracks.

"Maura?" She said as she stood and ran over to embrace her daughter. Maura moved back still holding her arm.

"Mother, we're fine. My arm is broken and Jane's hands..." She looked over at Jane. "Hoyt killed Angela. He had her apron, it was soaked in blood. He said he slit her throat. Constance looked over at Jane and went up to her, careful of her hands, and grabbed her.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I loved your mother very much. She was a good friend to me." The two women stood there and cried together. Constance stood back. "We need a medical team to take these to the hospital."

Frost spoke up, "Ma'am. Until we have control of what is going on out there, we are stuck here."

Gabriel Dean stood up. "We have a few simple supplies here. I think with our Doctor here, we could figure something out." He walked over to a cupboard and opened it. "Here we are." He pulled out a container and opened it. Maura appeared next to him and directed him to open it and sort through the supplies.

"I need something to create a splint. And then I'll use that as a sling." She pointed as Dean looked around for something that was long and sturdy enough for a splint. She looked through a few bottles of pain medicine. She grabbed one and asked Korsak to open it. He poured out a few pills. "Give three to Jane." She took her own and swallowed them. Dean came back empty handed.

Jane looked at a small table. "What about the leg of that table?" Dean looked over and agreed. He grabbed it and slammed it onto the ground and one of the legs broke off. He held it against Maura's arm and wrapped a little bit of gauze around it. He fashioned a sling and Maura focused on Jane. She ordered to her sit and she carefully removed the fabric. It tore slightly as the blood stuck. Jane breathed in sharply. Maura used her good hand and held Jane's hand up and looked at it. "It's incredible that he shoved this one through without hitting any bones. There are multiple ligaments and tendons. There is significant damage to the lumbrical muscle. I suspect that your palmar artery has been sliced. We can plug the hole with gauze or I can try to stitch it."

Jane shook her head, "Am I going to need surgery?" Maura nodded. "Then, let's not stitch it up yet. The bleeding seems to have stopped for the most part." Maura nodded. She looked at the other hand.

"Your right hand has more damage because you pushed the scalpel through it. I can see that it nicked the bone." She used the supplies to clean out the wound. Jane grunted in pain. She placed gauze in and around the wounds. She had Dean held wrap her hands. When they were finished Maura kissed Jane on her cheek. Forgetting who was present in the room she suddenly looked around and apologized.

Her mother spoke, "Maura, no one is judging you here. The both of you have been through enough." Maura smiled in gratitude. The pain medication was starting to kick in. The pain in her arm was not as intense. She suddenly felt very tired. Jane saw her and insisted that they sit down. They leaned against one another and fell asleep.

* * *

The woman was standing uneasily next to the soldier. "I'm Commander Hope Martin. What do you need to discuss with me?"

Angela breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't feel well yesterday and had my assistant Giovanni control my kitchen. I'm the clan's head chef. This morning, I reached the kitchen and went into the pantry and..." She paused for a moment and wiped a tear from her eye. She stood up straighter with more resolve. "The room was red. I looked down and Giovanni was lying on the floor covered in blood. There were words written on the back wall in blood that said, 'I'm going to enjoy slitting your daughter's throat. Then, I'm going to kill her lover, Maura Isles.' My daughter is Captain Jane Rizzoli. She's on assignment as Dr. Isles protection detail. I've been a personal friend of the President for many years. When I first tried to tell someone, this mess was everywhere." She gestured around them.

"President Isles was taken to a safe place. I would have to contact Admiral Frost. I will make sure that your request gets to her. Please wait here, I will do what I can to make sure your daughter is safe." She stepped away and pressed a button on her wrist. "Admiral, I have a woman here that says Dr. Isles life was threatened as was her escort, Captain Jane Rizzoli. She wants to talk directly to President Isles."

Admiral Frost looked at the two women sleeping on the couch. "They are safe in the safehouse. The capital is secured. We will go out to deal with this. We've been discussing what sort of trial system we will use for the traitors. President Isles has been preparing a speech."

Commander Martin absorbed the information for a moment. "Understood. I've heard reports that we aren't the only ones that have regained control."

"No, we have all clans secured. Hoyt was smart about how he wanted to control the capital, but we have it under control. Your troops are closest bring in this woman to the cabinet room immediately. I want to question her. Do not tell her that they are safe."

"Sir, if I may ask..." Commander Martin started.

"No, you may not. I will question her myself." The commander agreed and pressed her wrist. She walked back over to Angela.

"Alright, Mrs. Rizzoli, I'll take you to see President Isles." She barked out a few orders and put her second into temporary command. Angela followed her as they headed towards the capital.

* * *

Frankie saw the entrance. He motioned for the other half of the group to go with Riley to the rear. He entered with his weapon drawn and soon after they proceed into the stairwell. When they reached the bottom, he opened the door slowly. A guard was standing next to it was stunned by the intrusion and one of his team easily knocked him out. They continued through rooms and hallways taking out guards one by one. When they reached the door to the manufacturing room, they prepared to handle the last eight guards. Frankie hit a button on his wrist to send a silent message to Riley. When his wrist blinked twice, and he nodded. That was the signal.

At the same time, both teams stormed in and the guards jumped to defend. There were workers scattering around as shots rang out. The guards were losing men as the team advanced. There were two men left and they were surrounded. Riley jumped out from cover and one of the guards fired. Riley was hit and she fell to the floor. Frankie ran out shooting and hit the guy in the shoulder. He fell back as the last man standing shot. Frankie felt the bullet hit him in the chest and felt felt the air leave his lungs. When he hit the floor, more shots rang out.

It was over. TJ ran over and started to check Frankie. He sat up and coughed and struggled to get air. He ripped open his shirt and the bullet sat snugly in the center of his chest against the vest. "That's gonna hurt for a few days." TJ said. Frankie looked over at Riley. She too was coughing and holding her chest in pain. The rest of the team collected the workers and began giving them orders.

TJ took charge and gave everyone a task. After being under heavily guarded conditions, most of them were relieved that someone finally came to help their plight. Some offered to help destroy the serum. A few just wanted to know if they could finally see their families. They had been gone for years. Frankie and Riley did what they could as soon as they could breathe almost normally. After the serum was destroyed, they gathered the workers so that they could take them back to follow the same procedure that Frank Rizzoli went through after he was recovered.

* * *

Angela Rizzoli sat alone in the large room. The table usually sat the members of the cabinet for important meetings. Now, a worried woman was wringing her hands. Finally, the door opened. Admiral Frost walked into the room and sat at the table across from her. "I am Admiral Frost. I heard that you wanted to speak to President Isles. She is busy dealing with the invasion at the moment. I thought perhaps that I could help you."

"Admiral Frost! I wish we could have formally met under better circumstances. Your son, Barry, is a great kid. I need to warn Constance that her daughter and my own were in danger."

He was slightly confused. "Your daughter?"

"Yes, Captain Jane Rizzoli. I'm her mother Angela." He looked at her and stood up.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry, I need you to come with me." Angela followed him. He took her into the safe room. She walked in and saw Jane with her hands wrapped and she was talking to Korsak and President Isles.

"Jane!" Jane turned her head.

"Ma! You're alive?" She started crying slightly and rushed over and embraced her. They held each other for a few moments when Angela opened her eyes and saw Maura standing there with her arm in a sling.

"Jane, Giovanni is dead. What happened to the two of you?" Jane nodded in understanding. He was sacrificed instead of her mother.

President Isles stood and hugged her friend. "There is a lot that's happened Angela. I'm so happy that you're here. We thought you were dead. We will tell you everything, but for now, I have to address the country." Angela nodded as Constance and the cabinet members walked out of the room. After a few minutes, a song played in the room. There was a flash of light and a blue image of Constance stood before them, the entire cabinet stood behind her in full support.

"People of the great nation of Cordova, we have had a traitor in our midst. His dark army attempted to attack our way of life. Our Cordovan military has brought these enemies to their knees. They have acknowledged defeat and declared unconditional surrender. This evil has ruined many lives and controlled an army that attacked each of your clans today. We can say with the fullest of confidence that this historic day of the defeat of what is known as the Under Army. The sacrifices that we have made and have always made in the name of freedom and independence and perseverance of Cordovans."

"The sudden onslaught that we have witnessed to did not affect us only on this day. There have been incalculable suffering by our people that we had long ago felt lost into thin air. We have found your family members, struggling in slavery to the tyranny of Charles Hoyt. We will have justice. There will be immediate investigations and trials for those who were accomplices in this evil plan. I ask that justice is swift. Our resolve is strong. We are a courageous people. We have survived the destruction of the planet and we will always survive."

"Cordovans, twenty years ago family members had been declared to be lost to the wasteland. To the Quarantine areas. I myself searched for dear friends for years. Some of those people have been found. Their slavery has ended. As your President, I have tried my best to keep you safe. Now, in light of this secret enemy showing their face, I will tell you some national secrets that must be made public so that trust in your government has not been weakened."

Maura stood shaking her head. She didn't agree with this idea when they were discussing it and she didn't agree to it now.

"When people started going missing twenty years ago. I put together a secret group. The unknowns were said to have sociopathic tendencies and before my tenure as your President, they were sent to live in the Quarantine area on their own and alone. Once I learned of this, I stopped the practice immediately. I took in these small children and gave them purpose. They are highly trained patriotic intelligence agents. If it was not for their hard work, Cordova would be in a much different place full of oppression, tyranny, and violence. Our Code of Promise held up our great nation today. My daughter, as their leader and commander fought alongside Admiral Frost, the troops of the Cordovan Military, and Captain Jane Rizzoli to being us our continued freedom."

"Captain Jane Rizzoli and Commander Isles were held captive by Charles Hoyt and tortured after being taken from the street in the middle of the night. Captain Rizzoli never forgot her training and killed Hoyt in an attempt to escape. Cabinet Member Vince Korsak, Lieutenant Barold Frost, Admiral Frost, and Lab technician Susie Chang were able to find them and rescue them. These heroes saved Cordova. These heroes took off the head of the dragon. We congratulate them and will publically decorate them in the coming weeks."

Angela looked sharply at the two of them. She pointed at them indicating that they needed to update her later.

"Please bear with us in the coming weeks. We have an antidote for the serum that has infected many of you and your loved ones. This will take time, but they will be restored. The missing will return to their families after we have taken care of them. The enemy will be punished for all that they have wrought upon us. Thank you all for your bravery." The blue light flickered and disappeared.

Maura shook her head. "Was it really necessary for her to give away that much information?"

Angela spoke up, "She's the president of our country. Someone attacked us and they will want as many answers as possible. It seems like a smart political move in my opinion."

"I disagree. Giving people too much information that they don't need does not always garner support. It can breed anger, confusion, and resentment."

"People love your mother. It will be fine. Now, tell me what the hell happened with you two." Angela abruptly changed the subject and looked at the two of them seriously. Jane looked at Maura sheepishly.

"Well, we need medical attention and you basically heard the gist from Constance."

"But you didn't hear that Hoyt killed Giovanni. I mean I assume it was him. There was a message saying he was going to kill the two of you."

"Ma, Hoyt had your chef's jacket and it was covered in blood. He said that he killed you." She looked at her mother, "I thought you were gone. I thought you wouldn't get to see Pop ever again or Tommy. Well, he goes by TJ now." Angela paled instantly and swayed slightly. Jane instinctively reached out to catch her. She yelled out in pain, Angela's eyes opened and she steadied herself.

"Jane, I'm sorry. Are you alright? What do you mean that I would get to see your father?"

"Tommy found him. Hoyt took him all those years ago. He didn't leave you for that girl." Two medics entered the room. They looked at Jane and Maura.

"We're here to take you to the medical facility. Dr. Faulkner has arrived to treat the both of you." Angela nodded and insisted that she was coming with them.


End file.
